Trials And Tribulation
by TheHunter
Summary: A darkness has emerged on Gaea. Once again Fanelia must fight for her freedom. Please r&r!
1. Default Chapter

  
Disclaimer: I do not own escaflowne! (Wish I did though)  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation   
  
  
  
  
Prologue:  
  
  
It has been 5 years since the end of the Great War. The countries of Gaea are slowly pulling themselves back to their feet. The larger kingdoms are progressing steadily. The smaller ones had to take loans frome the larger ones, creating a massive war debt. This debt created much strife and confusion throught the land. Many tyrants saw this as an opprotunity to cause a revolution.........  
  
  
Episode 1 Chapter 1- Misgivings  
  
The clock on the wall continued its insolent ticking as Van Fanell tossed and turned between the plus blankes of his bed. He was exausted from touring parts of Fanelia to examine the reconstruction, yet he could not sleep. He missed her so much. He wished so hard that she was there with him, that he fell asleep in spite of himself.  
  
" Oomph! ouch!"  
  
Van awoke to find himself on the thick, red carpet next to his bed. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he peered over the mattress to see who pushed him. Before his eyes he saw a lithe and gracefull human who appeared to be covered in orange and black fur.  
"Merle!!"  
" Well good morning to you too your Grouchiness."  
Even though she was now eight-teen, Merle still took an irrepressible pleasure in bouncing Van from bed when he overslept.  
  
Van drug himself to his feet and walkedbehind a divider to change into his much hated "royal garments." He stepped out from behind the divider and looked at Merle, who was trying to suppress a smile. Van's royal clothes were always a source of amusment for her. They made him look, well, puffy. As the walked to the dining hall together, Merle noticed that Van was becoming more and more withdrawn.  
After breakfast, Van stood in the corridor and looked at the door leading into the Conference Room. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. Suddenly, he felt someones eyes on his back. He whirled around to see one of his generals looking at him with a lopsided half-grin on his face.  
" You wouldn't be trying to think of a way out of the daily meeting, would you sire?"  
" If you have any ideas, I would like to here them." Van replied, fore after five years, the reports were largely the same, making them very monotonous.  
  
The General said nothing ond opened the door for his king. The babble of voices stopped and everyone in the room bowed. Van nodded and looked at the people in front of him. On the right side of the table were his General, on the left side, his Nobles.  
" Daily report." Van asked, suppressing a yawn. The daily reports went on, but Van barely heard them as his mind was on something else. Prehaps the only one to notice this was Rab, one of the king's three Guymeluf Masters.  
" Dismissed." Van said as the reports ended. Everyone started to file out.  
" Rab, would you stay a minute?" the King asked.  
"Yes, sire?" Rab replied.  
The King at the figure before him. He had known Rab since they were both little. At 20 years old, the meluf master stood 6'3" tall. He wore dark blue trousers and an olive green button-down shirt. His maroon cape had a guymeluf and crossed lightning bolts embroidered on it, signifying his position.  
"Rab I received a message from Austuria yesterday informing me of a warning they recieved from a small band of mysterious warlocks in a moutainous region in Zaibach. The message also announced that, since King Aston is ill and cannot visit Fanaliea personally, they are sending a delegate in his place."  
  
" Let me guess," Rab interruppted, " Alan Shazar?"  
  
Van looked Rab in the eye. " Yes. I want you to meet the half-way."  
  
Rab frowned. He had a cynical attitude toward Allen ever since he put Van in harms way during a dragon hunt.  
  
Rab met the King's gaze. He saw the Van wasn't going to argue.   
  
"When does he arrive?" Rab asked.  
" In five days" Van replied.  
  
The meluf master sighed. " I'll leave day after tomorrow."  
Van nodded and walked out.  
  
  
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Allen stood on the porch overlooking the palace gardens in Austuria. He held in his hand the paper giving him the go-ahead to travel to Fanelia. He grimaced as he read that Rab was to meet him half way. He had no love for Rab and he was sure the feeling was mutual. In spite of himself, Allen couldn't help admiring him. Rab was one of the best guymeluf pilots he had ever seen. The Thonar, Rab's guymeluf, was ugly as sin, but it could do things the others could only dream of doing. Allen shook his head vigorously. He would sort out his thoughts later. Right now, he wanted to find that red-head he met earlier.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. chapter2

I do not own escaflowne!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
  
  
Episode1 chapter2  
  
  
Rab stood on a porch over-looking the palace garden. He was to leave tomorrow morning to meet Allen. He frowned. Allen had the reputation of being a playboy. That fact often distorted his priorities. That dragon hunt a few years ago was a perfect example. Instead of watching Van's back as he was supposed to be doing, he was flirting with one of his girlfriends. A women had no right to be on a dragon hunt anyway. The dragon attacked from the rear. Three people had been killed an Van injured before the dragon was subdued. Although Van maintained that it wasn't Allen's fault, Rab knew otherwise. After Van was carted off to see a healer, Rab walked up to Allen and spoke these six words:   
" I'll never forgive you for this."  
Rab had hated him ever since.  
Van sighed. Rab had left two days ago. He was due back with Allen tomorrow afternoon. Somehow, He wasn't very excited. The heart-ache inside him was growing bigger by the day. He cursed himself for not having the courage to tell her how he felt. He longed for the day when he could hold her in his arms once more.  
" Hatomi......." he whispered.  
Th King held the pendant that Hatomi had left him. It hung limply from his hand. Gradually, he became aware that the pendant was glowing faintly. Van held it up to his face. The pendant suddenly swung toward the southeast. Van was somewhat mystified. To the southeast was a place called The Mystic Forest. When the wind blew through the Forest, some strange noises come forth. One brave soul wandered into the forest once an came back with the tale of how there were holes in the trees that caused them to moan when the wind blew.  
" I wander if........" Van thought.  
**FLASH**  
Van rushed to the window to see a bright, blue light settling in the center of the Mystic Forest. One thought was uppermost in his mind, pounding like a hammer.  
" If only......" he thought as he raced for the stable.  
Hatomi got to her feet an rubbed her rear-end.   
"That trip is somewhat rougher than I remember," she thought " Not to mention the fact that it was totally unexpected." She sighed. She had been studying in the park with her friends.....  
"MY FRIENDS!!!" she glanced around uneasily. She was alone. "Alone, at night, and on Gaea. Not a very good position." She was just getting up the courage to wander around when their was a dull thumping noise in the distance. She turned around to see a horse an rider approaching. It was too dark to see who it was, but something about how he sat in the saddle seemed familiar. It couldn't be. She couldn't be that lucky.  
" Van?" she asked.  
" Hatomi!!"   
They both made a mad dash for each other and Van gripped her in a crushing hug.  
" I missed you so very much." Van whispered.  
Hatomi couldn't answer. She was crying. He held her until her sobs subsided. When she stopped, Van held her out at arms length and they looked each other over. She looked the same. Almost. She was a few inches taller, and her brown hair reached just below her shoulders.  
" I thought you might have forgotten me." Van said.  
" Forgotten you? I wanted to come back so much." They looked in to each other's eyes until a low growling noise jerked them out of their reverie.  
"What was that?" Hatomi asked, a little frightned.  
" Just the wind in the trees, I think. Sounds friendly doesn't it?" Van asked trying to make a joke.  
" Friendly?" Hatomi echoed, remembering that her friends were missing. Van saw at once something was wrong.  
"Problem? " he asked.  
" My friends landed somewhere else!" Hatomi exclaimed.  
Van looked startled. He peered around, seeing only darkness.  
"I'll send out a search party in the morning." he stated.  
" But we can't just leave them out here!" Hatomi screamed.  
" Be reasonable. Even if I did send my men out tonight, things get awful confusing in the dark. People could get hurt, namely your friends."  
Hatomi looked at the ground. Van was right and she knew it.  
" First thing in the morning?" her voice sounded squeaky.  
" I promise"   
  
The search parties had been out since dawn. So far they had found nothing. Van and Hatomi ate a meager breakfast in a private dining room.  
" Don't worry." Van had said, " I'm sure they will turn up." That was hours ago. Both Van and Hatomi were getting discouraged. If they landed in hostile territory........  
Three knocks sounded on the door.  
"Enter." Van said tonelessly.  
" Sire, the party from Austuria has returned and is at the lower gate."  
" Why haven't they been admitted yet?" the King asked.  
" They have two strangers with them. The Generals won't let them through." the messenger replied.  
" Where did these two strangers come from?" Van asked.  
" According to Rab, they suddenly appeared in a flash of light and.........."  
The messenger got no further. Van and Hatomi had dashed through the door. When they reached the lower gate, they found Rab in what seemed at a distance to be a polite conversation with two of the Generals. That is, until they got close enough to here the words.  
"Let me in dammit!" Rab was talking under his breath, trying not to loose his temper.  
" Protocol demands that we......"  
" I have been standing here for the past three hours waiting for your protocol, now open these doors or I'll do it myself."  
Allen stood off to one side, a look of intense amusement on his face. His expression turned to profound amazement when he saw Hatomi.  
" Hatomi!" Allen exclaimed giving her a quick hug. They turned to find Van grinning at solemn expression on Rab's face.  
" Now, now, you three." Van chided.  
Everyone froze. No one except Allen had seen the King approach. Van laughed at the embarrased looks.  
" Open the gates General." Van ordered.  
" Yessir."  
Van turned to Rab.  
" Where are these strangers of yours?"  
Rab made a face that seemed to be a cross between a frown and a smile.  
" Hiding inside my guymelef." (thanks Dilly, for the correct spelling) " They seem to be scared of just about everything."  
Hatomi, who didn't wait to here the end of Rab's answer, was poking around his guymelef. She found Yukari and Amano huddled inside. Surprised beyond words, they allowed Hatomi to drag them outside.   
" What next?" Amano asked after introductions were made all around.  
Rab grunted. " Let's eat."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. chapter 3

I do not own eacaflowne!  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Episode 1 chapter 3  
  
So the reunion was a happy one. Every new arrival had dinner together in a BIG dinning hall in the castle. After dinner, Van and Allen excused themselves and The King called a discreet meeting of the Generals. Van nodded to Allen.  
" Gentleman: I am here to gather opinion on a recent ominous message the the king of Austuria received from a unknown source."Allen began." The message is very vague and the king want to know if it is a warning or a threat."  
" What does the message say?" someone asked.  
" ' Beware of death from above' " Allen answered. " It was delivered by a masked man who rode off toward Zaibach."  
" Could it be the return of the Invisible Giants?" a General asked.  
This last statement threw everyone into a confusion of voices, each expressing his own opinion. Well, almost everyone.Unknown to everyone else, Rab was standing in a dark corner at the back of the room. He didn't take an active part in the conversation. He listened for a while. He heard aboutr everything from dragons to evil demons. He tried to raise his voice over the racket, but failed. Cupping his hands around his mouth he yelled.  
" SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!"  
The room became silent once again. Rab walked over to the table. He looked around and smiled a the evil looks he got from the Generals.  
" I have been listening for quite awhile to your conversation. I must say I am glad we have a King to make the choices around here. Anyway, after weighing all the facts, I think you will find the threat a bit more complicated threat than just a few invisible guymelefs."  
" What do you mean?" a general asked, irritation laying thick in his voice.  
"I mean," Rab continued," that it would take more than a few invisible melefs to destroy a city."  
" It was done to Fenelia." ( hope I spelled it right).  
" That's because Fenelia was totally unprepared for an attack of that sort. The countries of Gaea are now better prepared." Rab paused for a moment. He grinned. " What can be cloaked, fly, and do battle without ever touching the ground?"  
" A flying fortress?" Allen asked.  
Rab looked at Allen thoughtfully. " Correct."   
" And how would you know this?" someone asked.  
Rab grinned at Van. " I have my methods. I think it would be advisable to send a few...snoops....in the direction of Zaibach."  
There was a murmur of voices and Van banged his fist on the table. " I think Rab's suggestion is rather feasible. General, see to it at once."  
" Yes, sire"  
  
Van wandered the garden after the meeting. He was thinking about Rab. It was mysterious how he always came up with his theories. The scary part was he was almost always right. Van thought harder. Folken had found Rab abandoned in the forest before he dissappeared on his dragon hunt. Folken brought him back and set him up in the castle. Snubbed and bullied by the Nobles' children, Rab did poorly until Balgus noticed him. Needing a sparring partner for Van, he whisked Rab off to training. As they pummeled each other, each doing their damndest to try to conquer the other, they shared their past and became fast friends. After Folken disappeared and Van started to train to be king, Rab went in a totally different direction- he trained to be a melef pilot. When he was 14, one year before Fenelia was destroyed, he graduated. When Fenelia was burned, They were seperated until the big ending battle with Zaibach.  
" Penny for your thoughts."  
Van whipped around to see Hatomi looking at him.  
" I was just remembering old times."  
Hatomi smiled. " That much was obvious." She suddenly sobered. " Van, what is happening? There is word of an attack. Everyone is talking about it."  
Van frowned. Now he knew why Rab hated gossip. " There is not going to be an attack. We were merely discussing a warning note that King Aston received. There may, or may not be any truth to it."   
" I hope you're right" Hatomi whispered.  
" Me too." Van said. "me too."  
  
  



	4. chapter4

I do not own esacaflowne!  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
  
Deep in the ruined kingdom of Zaibach, 3 people resided in a dimly lit cave. Two of these figures were dressed in blck robes. They were reading from an old scroll.  
" If we can sucessfully capture the target, we can restore Zaibach to power and make the enemy pay for daring to transgress against Dornkirk."  
The third person was huddled against the wall. He was about 6.3 feet tall with a small tattoo beneath his right eye. Both af his arms were chained. One of the robed men turned to face the prisoner.  
" Just think Folken, Soon not only will we have Zaibach under our control, but you brother's kingdom as well."  
Folken stared back at the face in front of his. " You're dead. You're all dead."  
  
A rude and inconsiderate knock jarred Allen from his sleep. He groaned and rolled over.   
" Come on pretty boy, time to get up."  
Rab. Damn him. Why is it every time I come to Fenelia he torments me? " Rab, go away!!!"  
The door opened, and before Allen knew what was happening, someone took hold of his feet and yanked him onto the floor.  
"What the hell was that for!!??" Allen was rubbing the back of his head.  
Rab looked at Allen with just a hint of a smile on his face. " The "snoops from Zaibach are back. Van won't let them talk until you are present. Needless to say I am curious to hear what they found."  
Allen trudged over to the chair where his clothes were. " Why didn't you just say so in the first place? No, nevermind, I don't want to know."  
  
Van, Allen, Rab, Hitomi and the three "snoops" were all gathered in the Conference Room.  
" You may begin." Van said.  
" When we first reached Zaibach we saw nothing of concern. However once we dug deeper, we realized something was wrong. Something was very wrong. It appeared that......well....we could have been mistaken...."  
" Spit it out!" Allen yelled.  
" It appeared that a mountain was floating! We inquired of the people what it was and they seemed terrified. They said that if someone approaced it, it would, and I quote' Rain the fire of Hell down upon you'. We were about to trek to the mountain, when it disappeared into thin air."  
Rab raised an eyebrow." And no one knows anything else?"   
The spies looked uncomfortable. " Well, it was only local rumor, but it is said that a mad scientist with a metal arm cursed the mountain and made it float."  
Van's ears pricked up at this piece of information." Is there anything else known about this scientist?"  
The speies eyed one another. They steeled themselves and said " He has wings"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. chapter5

I do not own escaflowne!!!!  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 5  
  
  
" Wings?" Van echoed, the color draining out of his face. He could not fathom the fact that his brother might be alive, let alone working for Zaibach again.  
The spies went on, not noticing their king's countenence. " On our return trip we lodged at an inn on the Austrian border. We heard rumor of an incident that might be totally unrelated, or it could be the key to this entire mess."  
" What was that?" Rab inquired more out of habit than the fact that he was actually listening. He was thinking. Folken alive? His brain told him this was impossible, but his heart told him nothing is impossible.  
The spies continued. " Celena Shazar was kidnapped from her vacation resort on the Zaibach/Austrian border."  
The use of the words "Celena" and "kidnapped" in the same sentence jerked Rab out of his trance. Both Van and Rab instinctivly looked at Allen. He looked like an over-sized stick of chalk.  
" Dismissed." Van whispered.  
After the spies left, neither Van nor Allen nor Rab nor Hitomi said anything. They were all thinking the same thing.........  
D-I-L-A-N-D-A-U.  
  
  
" I refuse to believe it!!" Van shouted. " I refuse to believe that my brother is working for Zaibach again. Hell, I thought he was dead!"  
" Now Van, calm down we don't even know it was Folken they were talking about."  
Van and Hitomi were standing on the balconey outside of Van's room. Hitomi didn't like seeing Van in such a somber mood. She also knew there was going to be no reasoning with him. So, in a desperate move, she did the only thing she could think of..... she kissed him. After the initial shock, Van returned her show of affection, and one think led to another. Neither of them slept much.  
After the secret conference, Rab, as was his style, disappeared to ponder what he just heard. The Generals, resenting the fact that they were not let in on the big secret, were trying to find a way to worm infrormation out of somebody. Little did they know that that three extra pair of ears were listening to everything that was being said.  
" I can't belive what I am hearing!" Merle exclaimed in a hushed tone after someone suggested bribery.  
" What can we do?" Yukari asked.  
" The way I see it, there is only one thing to do." Amano stated, looking at Merle. " "Find Rab. He usually seems to have a better idea of what's going on than anybody else."  
  
  
The trio started their search in the Castle bell tower and worked their way down, reasoning that if he had left the castle, the guards would have seen him. They finally found him in the holding cells for the guymelefs.  
" We should have known." Merle grumbled.  
Rab was inside his guymelef, "The Thonar", performing a pre-combat test.  
" Where are you going?" Amano asked.  
" I've got buisness to take care of." Rab said tersly.  
" Rab, what is going on?! The Generals are going ballistic. They have never seen Van so upset!" Merle was on the verge of tears.  
" I'm in no mood to talk. Go bug Allen." Rab said through clenched teeth so that it came out as a hiss.  
" We already tried. He's drunk in his room." Yukari answered. Rab glanced at them then went back to preping his melef.  
" Rab, if you don't tell us what's wrong we'll simply follow you." Merle trembled. She hoped she wasn't going to push him over the edge, fore Rab's temper was his dark side. She had only seen it twice in all the time she had known him, and even then she was only a witness. Both times had ended with the opposing person's jaw being wired back together by a healer.  
Rab's movement was only a blur. The next thing Merle knew, his face was in front of hers, their noses mere millimeters from touching. " You follow me, milady, and I'll turn you into a throw rug." Rab whispered, his face was spoltched purple with rage. His tone struck her deeper than any blow ever could.  
Tears ran down Merle's cheek as she fled from the room.  
" That was cruel!" Yukari yelled at him as she and Amano went to console Merle.  
As he watched the fleeing people, Rab noticed a small, brown leather bag on the floor. He stooped down and opened it. Inside was every shiny trinket Merle had ever stolen from him. ( Rab had a habit of bringing trinkets home with him from his missions.)  
He suddenly felt ashamed. He had no call to make her cry. She was, after all, only trying to help. Aside from her stealing his things, Rab was quite amused by her antics. His pride stinging, he sent her a message telling her to be ready in an hour. The message came back saying that if one went, all three went. Grumbling about a conspiracy, he agreed. In an hour the four of them were ready in The Thonar's cell.  
" I'm going to regret this." Rab muttered as he slid into the cockpit   
They were off.....  
  



	6. chapter6

I do not own escaflowne!!  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 6  
  
  
  
The daylight barely the inside of the cave/ laboratory where Folken was being forced to work. Ordinarily, he would rather die than do something like this. But by working slowly, it gave him time to think. He glanced around him. The locked bars on the cave entrance were 4 inches thick. They were never opened, rather, things were passed through the bars. And even if he did get out, he would have to face that digusting abboration outside of his cell. Suddenly, from somewhere outside, there came the most horrific, high-pitched shriek that he had ever heard. Minutes later, that shriek turned into a demonic laugh. Folken grew numb as he realized who that laugh belonged to.  
  
" Who are you? Where am I?" The young man on the operating table looked like he was ready to slit someone's throat.  
" Relax Master, you are safe."  
" Who are you?"  
" Master, we are all that's left of Dornkirk's Sorcerers. We awoke you that you might reek vengence on those who opposed us."  
Dilandau looked at the two men standing before him. He ran his hands over his body as if to make sure he were himself. His fingers rested on the scar on his cheek.  
" Yes," Dilandau whispered, " They shall pay."  
  
It took Hitomi many hours till Van could think clearly again.  
"Everything is so confusing. First, my brother who I thought was dead appears to be working for Zaibach. The Celena is kidnapped." Van sighed.  
" What are you going to do?" Hitomi asked.  
" Well, first I am going to consult with Rab and Allen. Then I suppose I'll have to address the council.."  
" I hope we can stop Zaibach." Hitomi said, worried.  
Van went off to find Allen and Rab.  
  
" Allen, open up! It won't do you any good to sulk!" Van was getting impatient.  
" She is gone!! I have lost her again! I won't come out!" Van glared at the solid oak door. There was no use.  
" Sire." A palace guard ran up to Van, gasping for breath. " Rab is missing!"  
Van started to get that queasy feeling in his stomach. " Have you looked in the bell tower?"  
" Sir, I checked all his usual retreats. "  
Van grimaced. " Check the holding cells!"  
Van wandered the Castle. He found himself in the empty conference room. He heard a creaking noise. The door opened and Allen stepped into the room.  
" Thought I'd join you." Allen looked as if...... naaaa. He couldn't have been crying.  
They both waited. " Sir!" a guard burst into the room." The Thonar is missing!"  
Van nodded dumbly. " Well, I guess I should have expected this. Rab always was a wildcard. Now what do I do? I've lost my best card."  
" There is one option." Allen half-smiled.  
Van looked at him.  
"Let's go."  
  
  
It had been two days since Rab and his would be "army" left the castle. As they marced toward the area the spies outlined, Rab filled them in.  
" But Folken alive? He died when he killed Dornkirk." Merle sounded incredulous.  
" I know it sounds crazy, and maybe it is, but I--er--we, need to make sure. Any how if someone manages to bring Dilandau back to life no one will be safe." Rab looked calm, but anyone who looked into his eyes could see otherwise.  
" Who is this Dilandau?" Amano asked.  
" He was the person responsible for the destruction of Fenelia." Merle answered.  
Merle, Amano, and Yukari, who were riding on the shoulders of The Thonar, almost fell off as Rab stopped.  
" What's wrong?" Yukari asked.  
"We're not alone."  
  
" First I'll destroy all the defenses along their borders, Then I'll use the new floating fortress to rain fire on their capital city! They will never know what hit, or rather, what burned them!" Dilandau gloated over his new plan. He had just finished replacing his lost Dragonslayers. The warlocks also saved an Alseides guymelef. Now, hundreds of them were docked inside the new superfortress. Dilandau rubbed his hands in glee as he thought of all the terrible things he could do to the people of Gaea. Little did he know that he was only a pawn in a much bigger plan. The Warlocks were only using him as a tool. They wanted The Key.  
  
Folken was getting desperate. He needed to find away to warn his brother of the upcoming attack. But how? The only access to the outside was through the bars. He hung his head. It looked hopeless.  
  
  
They were surrounded. Five guymelefs on one. The pilot of the surrounded melef almost smiled. He liked these odds. But this time was different. He had passengers to protect. The pilot cocked his head to one side. The leader of the five were demanding his surrender. Like lightning, Balgus' words came back to him: " Never give up. Never ever surrender." Rab looked up at the sun. He thought: " Prehaps today is a good day to die."  
  
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Like it? I hope you all enjoyed. as always I am open to objections, disses, rants, suggestions, questions, ect.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. chapter7

Idon't own escaflowne!  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 7  
  
  
" But I don't want to die!!!!!!!" Merle shouted, jerking Rab out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized that he had spoken out loud. He looked around. Five guymelefs to his one.  
" Surrender or die!" the sinister voice crackled over Rab's radio. Amano leaned over and spoke to Rab through the face mask of the Thonar.  
" What do we do?" He asked.  
Rab grimaced. "Ordinarily the odds would be 60 to 40 in my favor. Having passengers, though, I'm afraid surrender is my only option.....For now." The Thonar raised its hands in the universal sign of surrender.  
  
" How fast do you think he was moving?" Van asked Allen.  
" Judging from the depth and distance of the footprints, a pretty fair clip. If we push it, we should be able to catch him in a day or two." Allen replied  
They had already been on Rab's trail for 12 hours. A few hours later, they came upon an extremley thick grove of trees. Rab,s footprints lead right through the middle of it. The grove of trees was a dragon colony.  
" Well, he certainly isn't lacking guts." Allen observed.  
" Guts or stupidity?" Van asked  
" Guts. Storming a dragon nest is one way to shake a follower."  
Van shook his head. " I wouldn't do it."  
" Of course you wouldn't," Allen spluttered, " No one would. That's what makes it a brilliant idea. Although I think this particular nest is abondoned."  
" How do you know?"   
" No fresh droppings."  
Van and Allen pushed on for another 10 hours before calling it a night.  
" Tomorrow." Van whispered." We find Rab, and then I kick his sorry ass to the Mystic Moon and back again."  
  
" What do you plan to do with us?" Yukari asked the leader of the raiding party.  
" You'll find out soon enough my pretty." The man said, sending shivers down her spine.  
The raiders transported the foursome back to their base after Rab's unexpected surrender. They searched everyone thorouly. They seemed to pay a special attention to Yukari. After being searched they were thrown into a holding cell. They sat looking at one another.   
" Now what do we do? Are you listening to me? Rab!!!!" Merle was yelling into Rab's ear.  
" Merle, do you want me to cut your tongue out?" Rab asked, effectivly silencing the cat-woman. " Good. now I can think."  
Rab sat down in the darkest corner of the room and lapsed into a state of intense concentration. Meanwhile, Amano was surveying the room looking for weaknesses. He stopped at a place where the brick wall was starting to corrode. Even in his short time on Gaea, he knew it was useless to point this out to Rab, while he was thinking.  
" I'VE GOT IT!" Rab lept onto his feet.  
" You found a way out? Merle asked eagerly.  
" What? Oh. No, I found the last answer to Hitomi's crossword puzzle." Seeing the disgusted look on Merle's face, Rab smiled. " Ok, here is my theory. The men who have us aren't connected with Zaibach." Seeing the question on Yukari's lips he answered her before she said anything. " Zaibach soldiers would have found my hideout weapons." While he was speaking, Rab had knelt down and was unlacing his boot.  
" What hideout weapons?" Merle asked. Rab said nothing and slipped off his right boot. He gave the sole a couple of hard thwacks against the wall. Two small daggers fell onto the floor. Rab repeated the procedure with his left boot, revealing two more daggers, for a total of four, one for each of them. Everyone looked at him in surprise.   
" What? You think I would go on an excursion like this and not be prepared? Behold, I'm not finished yet." Rab stripped off his shirt and was pulling a strand of very thin wire out from the seam. He then detatched two buttons from his shirt and tied them to the ends of the wire. Yukari was staring at the vicious scar that ran from his right shoulder diagonally across his chest and stomach and disappeared beneath the waistband on the left side of his body. Rab glanced up and saw her face, then looked back to what he was doing.  
" Assassin."  
" What?"   
" It was done by an assassin two years ago. I goes all the way down to me left knee."  
Rab put his shirt back on and and stretched the wire between his fists.  
" What is it?" Merle asked?  
" It's a garrote. Next time they open that door, we take them out."  
  
  
An hour later, there was the sounds of feet in the hall. The door was thrown open and the raiders looked inside. Rab was seated next to the door, back against the wall. The other three were seated in various places, no one's hands visible.  
" On your feet." One man said.  
" C'mon you........" The raiders voice was cut off as Rab slipped the garrotte around his throat. Rab tightened the wire hard enough to lift the man's feet off the floor. The other two men whirled around only to be met by three small blades. Merle, Amano, and Yukari charged the two men desparetly trying for a stab to the heart. Met by three inexperinced but furious knife wielders, the men turned to flee, only to have their heads smacked together with a sickning thud. Rab knelt over and wiped the garrotte on the dead man's clothing. He looked at his companions. Yukari looked sick, Amano pale, and Merle angry.  
" Let's go."  
  
  



	8. chapter8

I do not own Escaflowne!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 8  
  
  
Rab peered around the corner. After killing the two men in their cell 10 minutes ago, they had slowly worked their way around the raider's hideout.   
" If this place is built like any of the other raider bases I've seen, the armory should be just down this corridor." Rab whispered.  
" And if it isn't like any of the other bases you've seen?" Yukari spoke for the first tim since the let the room.  
Rab looked at her for a moment before answering. " Well, in that case, we'll probably be going for a swim in the Dark River, if you get my meaning. Now enough chit-chat. Let's go."  
The four of the slipped down the hall and came to a dead end. There was a door to the let. Rab tried it and found it locked.  
"Shit!" Rab looked at the other three. His gaze stopped on Yukari.   
" What?" She asked.  
" Let me borrow your earing."  
" But my Grandma gave me these."  
" Do you want to live?" Yukari nodded. " Do you want to get out of here?" She nodded again. " Then give me the damn earings!" Rab hissed, his voice never sounding above a whisper.  
Yukari handed Rab the earings. Rab took them and bent them out of shape. He inserted both of then into the lock and jiggled them around. He kept at it for around fifteen minutes with no luck. Frusterated, Rab gave up and got to his feet.  
"Now what?" Merle asked. Rab looked around. Near the ceiling were some loose bricks. " Merle, climb up there and see if you can get one of those bricks.  
" Why me?" Merle asked. Rab whirled around and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, lifting her up to his eye level in the process.( Rab was a good 6 inches taller than she was.)  
" Listen you furball! We don't have time for twenty questions.JUST DO IT!!"  
Merle totally subdued, climbed the wall, here claws scratching on the wall. She grasped one of the loose bricks and gave it to Rab. He took the brick,and, mustering all his strength, gave the door knob a heavy blow. The lock clicked open. Rab opened the door and looked around. It was indeed the armory, and his sword was hanging on the wall. He scooped it up and examined the blade. He looked at the rest of them.   
" Well, just don't stand there, grab some weapons." Rab the continued to survey the contents of the room. He slipped a collapsible spear onto his left arm and slung a crossbow onto his back. He turned to see what the othes had gotten themselves. Merle had armed herself with about a dozen throwing knives. Amano was wielding a ball and mace in both hands. Rab raised an eyebrow.  
"You serious about taking that thing?" He asked Amano.  
" What's wrong with it?"  
"More than likely you'll kill yourself with it."   
Amano said nothing and gave the chain an expert whirl, the steel ball smashing into a rack of knives. Rab was impressed.  
Yukari was the only one now unarmed. " I don't know what to take." she whispered, looking at the floor. Rab looked around, and spotted a medium sized katana. He tossed it to her.  
" Now people, lets get to The Thonar and get the hell out of here."  
  
  
" The tracks end here." Van and Allen had found the end of the Thonar's trail. Allen scouted around a bit and was able to identify the tracks of at least five other melefs. There was no sign of a battle.  
" I wonder what happened." Allen thought out loud. The tracks seemed to converge and head out to the east.  
" Do you think he could have had someone waiting here for him? " Allen asked Van.  
" I doubt it. Rab is generally a loner. I still can't figure out why he took those other three with him."  
" Well, I guess we follow these other tracks."   
Van and Allen followed the tracks 5 mile east until they saw it. The Raiders base below them looked peaceful.   
"So this is where those theiving bastards hole up!" Van fumed, the memories of stolen weapons shipments filling his brain.  
" Well they won't be bothering you any more." Allen observed, surveying the dead bodies. Most of the corpses were slashed with what looked like swords, some of them had their throats slit, and still others showed the unmistakeable shattered bones inflicted by a ball and mace. Upon further investigation, they found the tracks of The Thonar resuming their northwest course, followed by three mor sets of tracks.   
" He's still being followed." Van said, worried lest he lose one of his best melef piolts.  
  
  
" You cannot escape us again." the voice crackled over Rab's radio. The Thonar was surrounded on three sides. This time Rab had taked the precaution of setting Merle, Yukari, and Amano a ways off.   
" I won't be taken again." Rab snarled, the defiance heavy in his voice.  
" Then you will die!" The leader of the last three raiders was extremley agitated at the chaos this small group of four had created .  
Rab smiled. "You wish" he said and attacked. Despite the heavy appearence of the Thonar, it was very swift. Reaching the first of the raiders, Rad swung the Thonar's sword in a wide verticle arc, the blade catching his opponent on the shoulder, slicing it from shoulder to crotch. He promptly changed direction, blocking a blow aimed at his head, and used his left hand to smash the energist of the second raider, finishing him off with the point of his sword through the chest plate. Then it was just Rab and the third raider. They stared at each other, until the raiders nerve broke and he charged. Rab dropped his sword and used the opposing melefs momentum to throw the raider over the Thonar's shoulder. He then brought his foot down on the melefs face mask with an audible crunch.  
" Thats that."  
" Rab look!" Merle yelled pointing. Rab squinted in the bright light, the spotted what Merle had seen. Two guymelefs standing on the horizion. Rab didn't even need to recognize the melefs to know who it was. A minute later his feeling was confirmed. The voice crackled over the radio.   
" You Jackass!"  
It was Allen and Van.  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. chapter9

I do not own escaflowne!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 9  
  
  
" You Jackass!!!" Allen repeated. " You go off by yourself and not tell us? The fate of the world is at stake!"  
" Allen, shut up." Van turned to Rab. " Looks like you beat me to the punch again."  
Rab grinned." I don't have a country to rule. I can go as I please."  
When Allen and Van had reached the site where Rab had defeated the raider melefs, Rab was rummaging through the wreckage. He added several intact energists to the pile in front of him.  
" And just where are you going to put all that junk?" Allen asked.  
Rab looked at Allen. " Ya know, it would help if you were a little less pessimistic. Anyway......" Rab strolled over to the Thonar and slid a couple secret panels open. Rab looked where the other three were standing.... or rather the other two were standing. Merle had all ready gotten over her battleshock and was all over Van. The other two were staring open-mouthed at the wreckage. The entire battle took less that 3 minutes.   
" Let's go you two, help me get his stuff into my melef or you can walk the rest of the way." Faced with the painful prospect of walking the rest of the way to Zaibach, Yukari and Amano snapped out of their battleshock and helped Rab haul his goods. Salvaged energists, knives and spare clothes were all stuffed into the Thonar's secret compartments. Rab was stripping the last of the wrecked machines when he suddenly straightened up.  
" Well, look what we have here." In his hands he cradled a large Bowie like knife made of glass.  
" A serpent slayer?" Allen asked, having calmed down long enough to speak coherently.  
" Not just any serpent slayer, The Serpent slayer."  
"What's a serpent slayer?" Yukari asked.  
" A serpent slayer is pure, un-adulterated raw power. They were created in the early days of Gaea as protection against demons." Rab studied it more carefully. The grip was made of a reddish brown metal with brass rings attached to the hilt. The blade appeared to be made out of a thick glasslike substance.  
" Well, at least we have protection from demons."   
  
  
Later that night, the six of them were lounging near their fire after a hard days trek. If they were lucky, they would reach their destination tommorrow. Their melefs, Escaflowne, Shazarade, and The Thonar, formed a perimeter around the small band of warriors. Rab had loaned his purloined crossbow to Allen, who shot dinner. As they ate they discussed their strategy.  
" I think with all three of us moving together we make too much noise." Rab said, " We should probably move a kilometer or so apart."  
" I agree." Allen said, getting a surprised look from Rab.  
Next, they amassed their weapons and armor. Allen had his sword. Van had his sword, as well as the dirk Rab had given him. In the way of armor Van had a colapsible shield and a set of spiked brass knuckles. Rab had his sword, hideout daggers, hunting knife, breast plate, and a pair of lead-filled combat gloves.( I know what you're thinking, He's parinoid. Well, better paranoid than dead!) Amano had his mace. Merle had her throwing knives. Yukari had her katana.  
Now, most of them were asleep. Van was leaning against the Escaflowne, Merle curled up at his feet. Amano was propped against the Thonar, Yukari resting her head on his shoulder. Only Rab and Allen were still awake, having pulled the first watch. Rab was looking at Van and Merle. His gaze shifted to Amano and Yukari. Their peaceful appearence belied the horrible danger they would be walking into on the morrow. Out of the darkness, Rab head a whisper. It was Allen.  
" I need to talk to you."  
Rab nodded. " Speak."  
Allen looked uncomfortable. " Look, you and I are too old to be quarreling. What say we put this rivialry behind us?"  
" Why? It was your fault and you know it!" Rab was watching Allen closley, suspecting some sort of trick.  
" Granted. I think I have learned my lesson. Ever since my mother died, I have kinda lost touch with reality. I lost my purpose for living. When I got Celena back, I felt purpose come back into my life. Now that she is gone again and possibly turned back into Dilandau, I feel a hate. A hate so intense I want to tear those Zaibach soldiers in to bloody ribbons. I can't get her back without help. That means making amends. So what do you say?  
Rab was looking at Allens face as he was talking. He really meant it. Rab took a deep breath.  
" What you did that day was unforgiveable. However, I can relate to losing a family. I can see how that would affect a person. I can't forgive you for what you did in the past. On the flip side,though, I think we should look to the future. Why don't at least try to start on a fresh plate?  
" Will you shake on it?" Allen asked, knowing Rab's hand was his bond.  
The beginnings of one of Rab's famous grins plucked at his lips. Then, in the semi-darkness, in the heart of enemy territory, two vetran warriors put aside their differences and clasped their hands in the begining of Friendship.   
  
  
Dilandau slowly strode down the line, carefully scanning the face of each person he passed. Most of them were dead soldiers reserected from the grave. Others were brought up from the surface of the Mystic Moon. The crew for the new super-fortress.  
" Dissmissed!" The men hurried off to their stations. Dilandau rubbed his hands togerther. Tomorrow they set sail for Fanelia. Van would pay for damaging his face. Tomorrow, Carnage will rain........................................................................  



	10. chapter10

I do not own escaflowne!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 10  
  
  
It was raining. The lightning knifed across the sky. Inspite of this they marched, each minute coming closer to their destination. Amano shivered as the wind whipped at his raincoat. He clung desperatly to The Thonar, trying to get a better grip on the slippery metal. The storm had started shortly after dawn. He wondered if the others were having the same problem.  
" Stop!"  
" What is it Allen?" Rab asked. Each melef was about a kilometer apart, communicating with their radios.  
" I found some wierd looking tracks." Van and Rab converged on Allen's position.  
Van stared at the tracks intenetly, as if willing them to say who they belonged to. He shivered. " I could be mistaken, but those look an awful lot like ogre tracks.  
Rab looked at his king. " Are you sure? I thought we exterminated them years ago."  
" So did I."  
Allen looked into the sky. " Maybe we should scout around. This rain should give us cover."  
They all agreed. So, leaving the melefs behind, the proceeded on foot, weapons at ready. Merle was the first to spot the cave.  
" Do you think the ogre lives in there?" She whispered.  
" I don't think so." Van returned her whisper, " There's bars across the cave"  
They were all about to creep over when something rose out of the bushes next to the entrance. It was about nine feet tall. Around it's waist it wore a belt of skulls, mostly human. Rab wrinkled his nose. It smelled like rotten flesh.  
" Ewwwww" Yukari put a hand over her mouth and tried to stifle the urge to puke.  
" What do we do now?" Amano asked.  
" I wonder......" Everyone looked at Rab. " Van, give me the Serpent Slayer."  
Van handed the Serpent Slayer to Rab. Rab took the knife and stood up from his hiding place. He walked directly at the ogre.  
" I know Rab is crazy, but this is suicidal." Allen murmured to himself.  
Rab continued to stroll toward the monster. The ogre, finally sensing his appearence, turned and looked. Rab stopped. After a few moments the ogre roared and charged. Rab unsheathed the Serpent Slayer and held it over his head. The blade seemed to shimmer in dozens of different colors. Pointing it at the ogre, Rab shut his eyes and let the Slayer go. It flew from his grasp and whirled around the ogre. Then, in a flash of multi-colored light, the ogre disappeared. The Slayer returned to its sheath. The others gathered around where the ogre used to be on saw that the ogre wasn't gone, he was just small. Really small. In fact he was only about 2 inches tall. Van stepped on him and squashed him into the soil.  
" Well, I've always heard about the power of a slayer, but this is the first time I have got to witness it."   
" I hate to interrupt this victory parade, but do you think you could get me out of here?"  
Everyone stared at the speaker. In the cave, standing behind the bars was Folken............  
  
  
" Master Dilandau!" Chesta ran up to the red and black armored figure.  
" What!"  
" The Fire tanks are empty. Someone must have forgotten to fill them."  
Dilandau stared at his un-dead Dragonslayer. " HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN!!!!" Not waiting for an answer, Dilandau smashed his fist into Chesta's stomach. He was furious. His perfect revenge would have to be delayed. They would have to make an extra trip to the volcano to full the fire tanks.  
" Gatti!"  
" Yes master?"  
" Tell the bridge to alter course for the volcano."  
" At once Master."  
  
  
Everyone stared.   
" Brother?" Van was visibly shaken. He approached the cave. They stared at each other, neither willing to believe that this was real. Snapping out of thier trance, Van turned to Rab. " Can you get these bars off?" Rab examined the iron bars.  
" I think so, let me go get my guymelef." Rab trotted off. Folken looked at Van.  
" That's Rab?" Van nodded. Folken shook his head. " Damn he got big. Last time I saw him......." The approaching Thonar cut off any more conversation. Using his melef, Rab yanked the bars out of the rock. Reunited, Van and Folken embraced.  
" Van, I suggest you and Allen go get your melefs before that storm starts again.  
Van and Allen brought their melefs to the cave and were preparing to depart, when Merle gave a terrified yowl.  
" Look!!"  
Everyone looked into the distance. Much to their amazement, they saw a mountain appearing out of thin air about a day's run away.  
Allen was at a loss for words.  
Van's mouth was hanging open.  
Rab put everyone's thoughts into words: " Holy Shit!"   
  
  



	11. Chapter11

As much as I would like to claim esca as my own, sadly some studio beat me to the Idea. In short, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 11  
  
They watched, totally tertified of what they were witnessing. Only Folken seemed not to regard the floating mountain with horror. Every head pivoted, staring the question at Folken.  
" Yes, I helped build it." Folken was staring at his feet.  
"Why?" Merle asked.  
" Because they said they had an agent in Fanelia, And if I didn't cooperate, They'd kill Van."  
Van was still staring at his older brother. A myraid of emotions flowed theough his head. He wanted to be angry at Folken for helping the enemy, But found he could not. In an unchactaristic show of emotion, he enbraced his brother for the first time in many a year.  
"I hate to break up this tearful reunion, But in about thirty minutes, we're going to have some very serious company." Rab was standing on the Thonar's shoulder, looking at the mountain through a glass.  
" What do you see? Allen asked.  
" Nothing much, just about twenty-five Alseides flyers headed in our direction."  
" The assessment team. They come to check on me every day." Folken squinted in the direction of the super fortress.  
Everyone instinctivley looked at Rab.  
" Why am I the one who always has to extract our asses from the sling?"  
" Because I'm telling you to, thats why. Now quit your bitching and think."  
Rab scowled at Van. Slowly he set himself down on a boulder, put his head in his hands, and remained motionless. Folken looked at Rab's motionless form.  
" Is he the same kid I dragged home from the woods?"  
Van nodded. " That's him."  
" What is he doing?"  
" Thinking."  
" I see. Shouldn't we be running right about now?"  
" Things change big brother. Watch and learn."  
Rab remained motionless for a few minutes more before looking up. He seem to look just a trifle older. He walked over to the stream and stared at it foe a few minutes.  
" Ok, people here's what we're going to do. Folken, You go upstream. Find the dam Zaibach used when they drained this place. Van you go with him. When I give the signal, destroy the dam. Allen, you take Shazarade and prop those bars back into place. Then scale that ridge and assume attack formation. Ok, the idea here is to get them all to land and exit their guymelefs, THEN blow the dam, not before."  
" What can we do?" Merle asked. Rab thought for a moment more.  
" You can stand right where you are."  
" But what purpose does that serve?"  
Rab looked at them and smiled deviously. " Live bait."  
  
  
The team leader surveyed the terrain as it flew by beneath. He hated babysitting. He felt that this job was not worthy of himself.  
He would much rather be on the assault force that was heading for Fanelia.  
" To think Dilandau brought me all the way from Earth to be a babysitter." The team leader was a handsome man of 21, his coal black hair pulled into a tight ponytail at his nape. Well, at least he would have the pleasure of harassing Stratego.  
" Team leader, this is scout one. We have spotted two humans and a catperson near the cave."  
" Acknowledged, use extreme caution."  
Where was the ogre? Was this another one of Stratego's tricks?  
The soldiers landed. They exited their melefs and formed a circle around Merle, Yukari, and Amano. The trio found it took every ounce of will power to keep form being sick. The soldiers were obviously of the undead variety. Whole sections of their skin peeled away to reveal the gray-green sludge that was once their internal organs. The unmistakeable aroma of decay and corruption wafed through the air in suffocating waves. Their leader was the only one who looked normal.  
" Who are you and what are you doing here?"  
" Who want to know?" Merle challenged.  
The leader gave Merle the once over.  
" Don't taunt me catwoman. Five centuries doesn't help these men control themselves. It would take but two words to have you two young ladies dealt with in a very unpleasant way."  
Merle fell silent. Amano was struck. He recognized this person. He could never belive that this person would do such a evil thing if he were under his own power. There must be an outside force acting upon him. He recalled a professor's words on psycology. ' A surprising experience, or even a strong emotion, may be enough to jerk the patient back to reality.'  
" Touch them, and I'll tear your heart out." Amano spoke for the first time since Rab had layed out his plan.  
" And what makes you think you could do that?"  
" I don't think I can, I know I can."  
A small light began to shine in the leader's eye. Utilizing this distraction, Amano stepped forward and heaved a punch into the leader's stomach. Then he watched as the ground boiled around his feet. The leader's shadow seemed to detatch itself from it's owner. The shadow stood upright. It was completly black, save it's red eyes, which were now staring at Amano.  
  
"What the hell is that?!" Allen whispered into Rab's ear.  
" Some type of demon I imagine." Rab whispered back, totally at ease. If Allen envied Rab for any reason, it was for his complete control over his emotions.  
" So what do we do now?" Allen asked.  
" We give them the surprise of their miserable little lives."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. chapter12

  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 12  
  
  
Hitomi was worried. Van's " Secret" business was taking him much longer than he said it would. Although he didn't say it, she suspected he had gone to find Folken. She listlessly picked at her food for a little while longer. Then, deciding she needed some fresh air, the soon to be queen went for a stroll in the garden. Without her intendting it, she ended up at the door to the holding cells. Finding the door unlocked, she strode in. They were all full, except where the Escaflowne and the Thonar would have been.  
" Milady? What brings you here?" Startled, she twisted around to see Miki, one of the other Melef Masters.  
" I don't know why I am here. I just went for a walk and ended up here."   
Miki chuckled. Well, I suppose as long as you leave the piloting to us, it can't hurt to show you around."  
For the next few hours, Miki showed Hitomi around the "Garage" as the pilots called it. The garage was divided into 4 parts. The first part was devoted to the Battlehammers, Miki's unit. In the second section were the melefs of the Iron Clan, Commander Koch's unit. The third section contained the guymelefs of the Tiger's Fang, Rab's unit.  
" How many are in a unit?" Hitomi asked.  
" Anywhere from 150 to 200 melefs"  
" Wow!"  
Hitomi was pondering Fanelia's millitary might when another question came to her lips.  
" Is it just me or is Rab not a very popular person?"  
"It's not you, but his popularity depends on who you talk to. He's not liked in the political circles because he is always foiling the Nobles plan to raise taxes. Now, the common people, as the nobles would call them, think of Rab and the Tiger's Fang as heroes. Once or twice a year, Rab turnes his unit loose in the city. They then procede to fix every roof, wagon, and doorlatch in the city."  
" What about the soldiers?" Hitomi asked.  
" Well, again, that depends on who you talk to. The other melef pilots look on him as a totally insane, but extremley likable person. The infantry don't like him, but there is a natural animosity between infantry and pilots anyhow."  
" Why is he insane?"  
Miki shivered. "Some of the crazy stunts he's pulled in battle....even I think he's insane."  
" Is that good?"  
" In Rab's case? I think it's good." Miki paused. " You know, this conversation bring one of Rab's quotes to mind. We were outnumbered 3 to 1... Rab wanted to charge instead of retreat. One of the newer pilots asked him over the radio if he was insane. I'll never forget his reply; ' I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every second of it!' "  
Hitomi was about to ask another question when a siren started to wail in the distance.  
" What's that?" Hitomi asked.  
Miki cocked his head. " Nothing much. I think you should be off to bed."  
Hitomi yawned and said goodnight. As soon as she was out of sight, Miki bolted for the east tower, his 40 year old knees creaking with every step.  
" Report!"  
The sentry looked uncomfortable. " Sir! I hesitate to give report. You should look for yourself."  
Frowning, Miki put his eye to the scope. No sooner had he looked through it than he jerked away, backed up several steps, and shook his head vigorously.  
" Tell me I didn't just see what I thought I saw."  
" Sir, It is no illusion. We have tried unsuccessfully to communicate. We can only assume it is hostile.   
Miki thought for a moment. " Agreed. Sound the alert. Tell General Shike we await his orders."  
The mountain drifted closer.............................  
  
  
  



	13. chap13

I do not own escaflowne!!!!  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
Chapter 13  
  
  
" You pitiful fool! Do you know what you have done? That body was a perfect host and you had to destroy it all!" Amano cringed under the scrutiny of the demon. The thing stood in front of him. It merely looked like an upright shadow with red eyes. However the dread feeling of death that radiated from the apparation was incomprehensible. The demon contnued to berate Amano.  
" You are a menace." The demon waved what could only be interpeted as an arm. " Destroy them." The undead soldiers advanced on the trio. But their slaying was posponed as the attack finally came.  
  
" Allen, you get our friends, I'll take care of the melefs."  
" Let's do it."  
With a harsh grinding of gears, Allen threw the Shazarade off the edge of the over looking cliff. Literally walking all over the enemy troops, Allen scooped up Merle, Yukari, Amano, and the unconscious team leader. He then proceeded to crush the undead soldiers under his feet, once again returning them to the relm of the dead. Rab meanwhile was efficiently reducing the enemy guymelefs to little more than scrap iron.  
"You fools!! You Fools!!! You will pay for this!" Being a lesser demon he could not physically challenge a full sized melef. He needed a host body for physical actions.  
Rad opened the Thonar's face mask and grinned at the furious being at his feet. " I think not." Rab turned his melef toward the sun, letting the light glint off his sword. Roughly two minutes and several shrieks later there was a deafning rumble that skowly steadied to a constant roar. Rab and Allen were headed back toward the cliff at a fast trot. Reaching it they climbed back to their vantage point they barely escaped a 100 foot wall of water that gushed through the valley.  
"Wow! More water behind that dam than I thought!" Rab commented to himself.  
  
" Took you long enogh to get here!" Van shouthed as Rab and Allen crashed through the trees.  
" Events took a rather startling twist."  
Allen took the liberty of informing Van and Allen of the events with Rab making the occasional correction to keep Allen from blowing the story completly out of proportion.  
" So who is he?" Van asked.  
" He is a person from Earth. He was a great hero during the Colony Wars."  
" So what's his name?" Folken asked  
" Chang...... Wufei Chang."  
  
"Gentlemen, we have here what can only be described here as a class one combat emergency. I'm not going to waste time spewing beauricratic non-sense." General Shike paused, allowing his statement to sink in. " As of now we can only assume that Commander Rab and the King to be casualties. General Hersai, I am charging you with palace security. See to it the Queen is kept safe."  
" She is not the queen." Hersai mumbled.  
" She is as far as I am concerened!" Shike snapped. " Commander Miki, Commander Koch, are the BattleHammers and the Iron Clan ready for battle?"  
" They are."  
" Then deploy them here." General Shike pointed to a spot on the map.  
The General stood. " Make no mistake, this will be the greatest conflict since the Great War. Let us strive to be worthy."  
As everyone flied out, Miki stepped over to Shike. " Sir, but what about the Tiger's Fang?"  
Shike gave the Commander a wry smile. " Miki, I wouldn't worry. If those men are anything like their commander, they're already out there waiting for battle."  
  
Wufei woke to the comforting crackle of a campfire. Where am I? What happened?. These were only a few of the thoughts that were flying through his mind. He remembered being possessed by that weird creature. Then something happened and he passed out. Voices floated within his hearing.  
" What do we do now?" Merle asked.  
"They will be sure to miss their men soon..... I think we should leave while we have the chance." Allen frowned  
" I agree we should move, but I still think we should strike at them while we have the chance." Amano was still worked up from the excitement of the morning's events.  
" Why so violen all of a sudden?" Yukari asked.  
Amano looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. " I don't know, must be something in the air"  
Folken looked up from polishing his mechanical arm. " More likley you have becom addicted to the adrenlin rush."  
" That too."  
  
  
The hammering of marching feet woke Hitomi from her sleep. She slid her slim legs over the edge of the bed and shivered in the chilly castle air. She wrapped Van's purple robe around her shoulders and tip-toed over to the window. It was the she realized the purpose of last night's alarm. She hurridly dressed and dashed down stairs.  
  
General Shike- open channel to all melefs: "Good luck gentlemen. Let's make today a winner!"   
  
Corporal Andrei, The Battlehammers-open channel:" Okay everyone, the tables are open, the odds are 90 to 10 in the enemies favor. Bets anyone?"  
  
Private Jax, The Tiger's Fang-open channel: "I'd hide all the profits you make on this battle; I wouldn't be surprised if the Nobles tried to tax you on 'em"   
  
All melefs, open channel- ......Amusement.......   
  
Commander Koch, private channel to Commander Miki: " Wish the King was here. "  
  
Miki: " Me too. Do you really think Van and Rab are dead?"  
Koch:" I won't believe either Van or Rab is dead until I see their cold dead corpses in a coffin. And even then I'll have my doubts. I've never me two more............"  
  
Anonomous pilot, open channel:" Here they come!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Sure enough, Zaibach Alseides guymelefs were spewing out of the superfortress and starting their march toward the Fanelian forces. Enemy infantry were being herded to the surface by some sort of transport. Both sides used simmilar tactics. Long lines of melefs marched in formation, acting as a buffer for the infantry behind them.  
  
And so the battle begins............................................................................................................................................ 


	14. chap14

Untitled 

I didn't intend for this fic to become a crossover, oh well. 

Are you people deaf? I don't own Escaflowne! 

Trials and Tribulation 

Chapter 14 

" So what you're telling me is that the five of you were transported here from the surface of the Mystic Moon by a bunch of weirdos in black robes?" Allen was interrogating Wufei when he awoke. 

Folken and Rab were standing off to one side listening to the conversation. 

" Fascinating!" Folken commented after Wufei finished describing Earth and the colonies. " I wonder what it would be like to go there?" 

Rab grunted. " I'm not so sure I really want to know." 

"So what do we do with him?" Merle asked. 

Rab nodded toward Van. " You're the boss, but you know my vote." 

Van sat pondering. Yes, he knew what Rab would do with him. I wonder........... 

" Look!" 

Yukari was pointing toward the stationary superfortress, which was now dissapating into thin air. 

" It was an illusion. It was bait to get you all out here and away from Fanelia." Wufei was stretching his legs. 

At those words, Van did something he had not done since the Great War. He did something so out of character that even Rab arched his eyebrows.- He lost his temper. He swung a full roundhouse punch at Wufei, landing it on his jaw. As Wufei toppled over backwards, Van's hand shot out and wraped itself around Wufei's throat. 

" Listen you beefheaded, half-assed whoreson. If this has anything to do with Fanelia, I want to know about it. Right NOW!!!" 

Wufei's only response was to wheeze uncontrollably. 

" Um, Van, he can't talk with your hand compressing his trachea." Folken whispered in Van's ear. 

Van took a deep breath and released his prisoner's throat. Wufei collapsed to his knees his breath coming in audible gasps. 

" Dilandau.....is headed..... to Fanelia.....with the real thing.... must get.....to the king of Fanelia and warn him. What?" 

Despite the potentially serious situation, Merle was rolling around on the ground, consumed in laughter. When she could control herself she said. " Who do you think you were just talking to?" Wufei shot a look of outrage at Van. 

"Why didn't you say any thing?" 

Allen lifted his hands." Enough of this bickering. If Fanelia is truly in danger, we must depart at once. Merle, Amano, Yukari, go north. When you come to the outpost, sent a message to Dryden Fassa in Palace. Tell him what has happened and have him advise king Aston to send soldiers to Fanelia's aid. Oh, and take him with you." Allen gestured toward Wufei. 

Van turned towards where he last saw Rab. " Rab........." He was already gone. 

The roar of the battlefield was everywhere. The clash and rasp of steel on steel rang throughout the land as Fanelian Infanty clashed with Zaibach Undead. Swords, maces, pikes, and spontoons rattled on shields and armor. When armor and shield failed, there was a shriek of pain as weapons pierced flesh. Or worse yet, the weapons only wounded their victims, leaving them in excruciating pain. Above this, the giant war machines of Gaea battled for supremacy. Melef iron tangled with gargantuan weapons of both the liquid and solid type. And even higher yet, the mountainous form of the super fortress drifted closer to the castle. 

"Hey Rab! Wait up!" In response to Allen's call, Rab whispered into the radio. 

" Never. Never again will that same fate befall Fanelia. Not while I am alive anyway." 

" I understand, but we have to work together. Going off half-cocked isn't going to do anyone any good." 

Allen had swung the Shazarade in front of the Thonar, blocking Rab's path. 

" Very well Allen. I'll give you three choices. Lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way. " 

The tone Rab used brooked no nonscense. Allen shuddered. 

" Um, I think I'll follow for the time being." 

When they topped the last ridge, the uncomprehensible slaughter that was ensuing below them was mind-boggling. The entire tract of ground before the castle was stained red with blood. ( In the future years, this area became know to all kingdoms as "The Crimson Field.") 

" I think we can get on board that thing and engage the self-destruct." Folken was trying to spot the ventilation port they would squirm through." 

" Self-destruct?" Allen inquired. 

" Yeah. It will incinerate if a certain button is pushed. 

" How appropiate." Rab muttered. 

Van and Folken had their shirts off and wings spread. Rab was climbing back into the Thonar. 

"Aren't you coming?" Van asked. 

" You three are enough to stop that thing. My place is out there." He gestured toward the battlefield. 

" May the Gods watch over you Rab." The Thonar turned and marched toward the battle. 

As Van sped through the air, Allen clinging to his arms, Allen spoke. 

" You know, I've revised my opinion of Rab. I don't think he's crazy. I think he's totally insane!" 

Van laughed so hard he almost dropped Allen. " I'm sure he'd take that as a compliment. 

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	15. chap15

Untitled 

For the last time, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE! 

Trials and Tribulation 

Chapter 15 

" Before today is over, I shall have Fanelia in the palm of my hand!!!" Dilandau was gloating over his plan as he watched the slaughter below him." I will burn it house by house. The people will bow before me, then, I'll burn them too!!! Mwhahahaha!" 

" They won't give up so easily." 

Dilandau swung around to face his stratigeist. " I did not bring you here to criticize me!!" 

The strategist strode to the window and surveyed the carnage below him. His blonde hair and blue eyes contrasted sharply with his deeply tanned skin. " You brought me here from Earth because you thought I was a good strategist. But I can't give you a victory if you keep contridicting my orders!!" 

Dilandau scowled fiercley. " You had better win this!" he growled. 

The strategist's eyes twinkled brightly. " Of course I'll win. I am , after all, a Winner." 

As Rab made his way toward the battlefield, he listened to his radio: 

Commander Miki, open channel: Damn, they're thicker than dragon hachlings on fresh meat. 

Commander Koch, open channel: No kidding. We're going to need a miracle for this one. 

A miracle? Rab thought I think I can mange that. 

Commander Rab, Tiger's Fang; open channel: "What are you waithing for you blockheads? Let's win this thing and go home!!!!" 

Rab reached the edge of the fighting mass and waded right on in as if a major battle was a normal occurence. The Thonar's sword glittered in the sunlight as it hacked away at the enemy Guymelefs. Rab's voice had served as a morale booster to the rest of the Fanelian troops. Even to those who disliked Rab found new strength in knowing the a certain insane lunitic was once again fighting on their side. They surged forward, hacking at their Zaibach adversaries. Slowly but surely they started to beat the enemy back. Their gain was only temporary. 

Quatre Winner was scanning the field from the observation window on the bridge of the superfortress. He watched as the Zaibach forces were slowly shoved back. This won't do. Whoever that lone pilot was, he certainly knew how to rally his comrades. Pity he was on the wrong side. He turned aside and picked up the comlink to the hangars. 

" Heero, Duo, Take the reserves and reinforce the army. Trowa, ready the fortresses main weapon. We are almost to the city." Quatre turned back to the window in time to see the reserve guymelefs pour out of the fortress. 

"Why are we always left on the sideline?" Merle complained. 

" So you would rather be hacked into tiny pieces?" Amano queried. 

" Well, we should do something." 

" Granted." Amano replied. " What say we make sure the castle is not captured by the enemy?" 

" I like that idea." 

" Don't I get a say in this?" Wufei asked 

" Nope." 

The four of them, in a roundabout way to avoid the battle. By the time they reached the city walls, it was almost dark. 

" Hey! Open up!" Amano's shout was answered by a hail of arrows, one of which knicked Merle on the shoulder, causing her to emit one of the most earsplitting yowls you ever heard. 

" Merle? That you?" The voice floated down from the top of the wall. 

" Batmik! Help us!." Merle shouted, totally forgetting the scratch on her shoulder. 

" Gimme a sec." 

"Whose Batmik?" Amano asked, searching his memory for the name. 

" Assistant Captain of the Guard." Merle chirped as a rope snaked its way over the wall. When they were safe inside the walls, Merle was infuriated to find that they were to spend the night locked in the kitchen where they would be out of the way. 

As the guards walked away they were forced to clap their hands over their ears as two words were screamed from inside the kitchen: " THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!" 

" The central control room is over here...I think." Folken peered around the corner to a room that was guarded. 

" You think?" Allen raised an eyebrow. 

" I worked in the engine room, not on the main deck." 

" Which button engages the self-destruct?" Van asked. 

"I'm not sure... I'd have to experiment." At the word " experiment" an unwelcome memory rushed back to Van. It was two years ago Rab had tried to modify a captured Alseides guymelef and had blown his workshop sky high. Van shuddered. 

" Ok , now the question is how we get past the guards?" The two undead guards were standing on either side of the steel door near the end of the corridor. 

Allen grimaced." How do we get past them? If they squeal, we're finished!" 

" I don't think we have to worry about that, look." Van nodded toward the guards. Allen and Folken looked closer. The guards were unmistakable as undead. But the most interesting fact was that they didn't appear to have vocal cords. Indeed, where their throat should have been, there was only a mass of stringy flesh and raw bone. 

Folken looked at Van. " Well, little brother? Shall we tempt fortune?" 

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	16. chap16

Untitled 

I do not own escaflowne! Nor do I own the song" Burning Heart" 

Trials and Tribulation 

Chapter 16 

Burning Heart Two worlds collide - rival nations,It's a primitive clash - venting years of frustrations, Bravely we hope against all hope - there is so much at stake. Seems our freedom's up against the ropes.Does the crowd understand? Is a East versus West, or man against man, Can any nation stand - alone. *In the burning heart - just about to burst, There's a quest for answers, an unquenchable thirst, In the darkest night - rising like a spire,In the burning heart - the unmistakable fire.* In the warriors code - there's no surrender, Though his body says stop - his spirit cries - never! Deep in our soul a quiet ember, Knows it's you against you, it's the Paradox that drives us on -It's a battle of wills, in the heat of attack, It's the passion that kills -The victory is yours alone. 

(repeat)* 

**************************************************************************************************** 

Allen and Van silently unsheathed their swords. Their plan was to kill the guards and get Folken inside to tamper with the self destruct. All they had to do was kill the guards without making a racket. They thought it was a good plan. They were wrong. As soon as they stepped around the corner, both the guards launched themselves. One butted his head into Allen's stomach, The air whooshing out of him like a baloon. The other latched its mouth around Van's sword, disregarding its edge. Folken shook his head. He walked over to Allen and gave the undead guard's neck a violent twist. It collapsed and dissolved into a puddle of green sludge. He repeated the process with process with Van's opponent. 

" Um... thanks." Van said. 

" The only way to deal wit undead is to sever the spinal cord. As they don't have any organs in the first place, that is their only vunerable spot." 

" I'll have to remember that." Allen mumbled, wiping foul smelling gore off his pants. 

The trio stopped in front of the control room door. Folken was about to put his ear up to the door when it hissed open. Quatre Winner stood staring at them. 

" Do I know you?" 

" Ummmmm, I don't think so." 

Quatre was concentrating on Folken. " You! Arrest them!" 

" Why does this always happen to me? " Allen asked, drawing his sword. 

" Must be your dashing good looks." Van replied, also drawing his weapon. 

Rab scowled through the facemask of the Thonar. The battle was going fine until those damn reinforcements showed up. Well, I might as well get used to the fact that I still can't predict a battle. He was in the process of eliminating two opponents at the same time when he got a strange feeling to duck. Used to such anonomous tweaks to his mind, he obeyed the impulse without a second thought. Good thing too, as someones crima claw slashed the air where his head had just been. Rolling to the right, Rab popped up an got a look at his sneaky attacker. Then he noticed something. The battle had stopped. Time seemed frozen around him. The only thing not affected were the three melefs standing around him. One red, one blue, one yellow, All alseides. 

" You are a worthy opponent. We will give you a chance to fight honorably." 

Now what kind of trick is this? Rab wondered. 

" Who fight's him first?" The Red Alseides stepped forward. 

" Mine!" 

Rab turned on his raido." Now I know that voice. No maniac laugh Dilandau?" 

Dilandau made his first move. Swords locked, showering the surrounding area with sparks. 

" Where's Van!?" Dilandau screamed 

"Ha! Wouldn't you like to know!" 

The other two decided it was a good time to attack. 

" Hey! No Fair! " Three against one. This is bad. How can I defeat them and without hurting my fellow soldiers? 

A light bulb lit itself over Rabs head. One of Folkens Journals on energist resonation. It might just work. 

An detonating energist emits a field that causes other energists to cease working. Unfortunatley, the energist used to bring about that reaction also destroys the person using it. Oh well, Rab thought , small price to pay to keep Fanelia free. Inside the cockpit of the Thonar, Rab set his energists to ten energy levels OVER maximum power. 

" For all that is, and for all that ever will be!!!" 

The Thonar exploded. 

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	17. chap17

Untitled 

For the millionth time, I do not own Escaflowne!!!! 

Trials and Tribulation 

Chapter 17-Gain or Loss? 

A bright wave of light engulfed the battle field. As the flash reached them, energists melted, rendering the equipment they powered useless. A secondary blast knocked the undead Zaibach soldiers to the ground. They shrieked in terror as the cleansing power of the resonating energists brought forth the black-robed reapers that returned them to the depths of the spirit world. As the power-pulse hit the Floating Mountain, strange things began to happen........ 

" Ahhhhhh!!" Van shielded his eyes as the intense light seemed to pierce the very material of the fortress. Vivid colors swirling in his vision, he groped around for his sword. He suddenly felt sick, and vomited all over his trousers. He waited a few minutes, the once again tried to get up. This time he succeded. Squinting around him, he saw his brother and Allen unconscience near him. The Zaibach soldier who gave the arrest order was curled up in a ball, his pants wet. Van stumbled over to Folken and shook him. 

" Brother, wake up!" 

" Do you mind not shaking me? I feel like I was attacked by a dragon, and I should know.Go check on Allen." 

Van went over to Allen and shook him also. As if propelled by a spring, Allen sprung to his feet. 

" Where are they? I'll kill them all!!!! fight you cowards!!!" Then he looked around him and grinned sheepishly. " I guess I was dreaming." 

The trio surveyed the corridor.. It was empty. Allen shook his head. " Well whatever that was, it seems to have solved our problems here." 

Folken had strode to the window on the bridge and was looking down at the battlefield." Hey you two, look at this!" 

All the melefs on the ground were not moving. Their pilots were walking around looking bemused. All the Zaibach infantry were gone. The Alseides guymelefs that the enemy pilots possesed were sprawled on the ground. Several miles away, a single colum of smoke rose from the ground. 

" What happened?" Van asked, staring at the ground in wonder. 

" Someone on the ground purposely resonated his energists." Folken said, his voice grim. 

Allen was about to say something when Quatre woke up. He staggered to his feet. 

" What happened?" He asked, his voice slightly slurred. 

The trio looked at one another, then Folken attempted to explain the details of demon influence, the slaughter below, and several other choice details of the conflict. 

" You mean we....I..... " Quatre fainted as the memories came back to him. 

" Some warrior he is." Van scoffed as a thin string of saliva dribbled out of the corner on Quatre's mouth. 

Van was about to say more when they heard someone running down the hall. Quickly seeking places to hide, they ducked into different corners, leaving Quartre on the floor. Just as Allen slid out of sight, a tall brown-headed boy burst into the control room. He spotted Quatre on the floor an hefted him to his shoulder. 

" Come on, must get out of here." Quatre awoke and squirmed. 

" Let go of me demon!!!!! Get away!" He thrashed around striking his bearer. 

" Quatre calm down!! They can't hurt us anymore!" 

" Trowa? Is it really you?" 

" Yes. Now come on we've got to get out of here!" 

" Where's the rest of them?" 

Folken stepped into view. " We mean you no harm." 

The Silencer looked around and spotted Van and Allen, swords in hand. He stepped in front of Quatre. 

" We just want to leave." 

Allen, somehow sensing that these two men were no longer a threat, said. " Good. Wait a minute and we'll join you. Folken, the destruct button if you please." 

Folken stepped over to the control panel and scanned the array of buttons and levers. He pressed one and the windows opened. He pressed another and the air conditioner came on. Quatre stepped over to the control panel. 

" Do you mind?" 

Folken bowed slightly. " Be my guest." 

Quatre reached out and pressed a large, red button marked " DANGER!" A timer popped out of the panel and showed ten minutes. 

Folken smote his forehead with his metal hand, winced, then rubbed his head with his other hand. " Any bigger and it would have bit me." 

" Can we leave now?" asked Van. 

Allen turned to Trowa. "Which way?" 

" This way." They ran down the hall. 

On the battlefield the Fanelian pilots and infantry had gathered around the smoking crater where the blast had originated. Everyone was wondering who it was that caused the blast. Everyone had been so busy fighting their own battle, no on saw what happened. One of the pilots started to turn to walk away when he tripped over something. Picking up the piece he recognized the melef it belonged to. Pusing forward he approached the current ranking officers, who were trying to reorganize their forces. 

" Sirs, I found this on the ground." Commander Miki took the piece, Commander Koch and Major Killgore looking over his shoulders. It was a piece of the Thonar. 

" He died well." The major whispered. 

Before much more could be said, the group of men parted, and Van and his party strode up to the officers. Silently, Miki handed him the piece. Van stared at the piece and a tear ran down his cheek. Allen strode over to the officers. 

" We should get back to the city, and tell them of our victory." 

" Did we really win anything?" Van asked, looking at Allen. " Do our gains here out weigh our losses?" 

Allen looked at the piece of melef iron in Van's hands. " I don't know. I really don't know." 

Van wiped the tears from his eyes and organized his forces. They marched back to the outer walls of the city and bade the gatekeeper to open the gate. No one answered.......... 

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	18. chap18

Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 18- Courage or  
Insanity?  
  
  
  
Hitomi Kanzaki, soon to be Hitomi Fanel, sat in a hard oaken chair anatched the battle from a high tower in the castle. She insisted on beinble to watch. Now she wished she had listened to General Hersai when hsked her to stay in her room. The sight was positivley sickening. But nohat she was here, she could not leave. The blood shed was incredible. Whaould drive man to these extremes? What force compelled people tltimatley destroy themselves? These were only a few of the thoughts thaccupied her mind. Worry for Van and Allen occupied another part. Curositbout Rab occupied another. She was deep in thought when a surprised grunrom one of the palace guards brought her back to the present.  
  
" I'll be damned!" The guard said. Catching Hitomi's curious gaze, Habded her the glass he had been using, and directed her gaze toward thar edge of the battlefield. The Thonar had just started to wade its wanto the bloody fray. When she directed the glass higher, she saw thinged forms of Van and Folken soaring through the air. Her heart gave iant leap for joy. Van was alive. In fact she was so intent on Van shasn't aware anything was wrong until a hand wraped itself around hehroat. She gagged a her air was cut off . A voice whispered into her ear.  
  
" Be still and you might live a little longer."  
  
She was taken to a room located centrally in the castle. She was shovhrough the door by the someone's hand. She was surprised to find the rooas already occupied. Four pairs of eyes were staring at her.  
  
"Hitomi!"  
  
Much to her surprise, she found herself locked in the kitchen with Merle,  
Amano, Yukari and a stranger who, only after a spat with Merle, identifieimself as " Wufei".  
  
" What happened?" Merle asked.  
  
" The enemy must have gotten into the castle. General Hersai is dead."  
Hitomi was on the verge of sobbing.  
  
Merle sat beside Hitomi and tried to comfort her. Wufei and Amano haheir heads bent in a whispered conversation. Yukari was just wanderinround. She came to a rack of pots and pans inlaid with jewels. Now whould pots and pans be inlaid with precious stones? she wondered. Shouched one of the pots and got a tingly feeling in her hand. She tried tet go, but the her hand wouldn't work. With a harsh grating sound, thack swung away to reveal a vertical shaft with a iron ladder bolted to thide. The stones gave off a soft glow, lighting the tunnel.  
  
" Um, Merle do you know what this is?"  
  
Merle came over to where Yukari was. " Hey people! Maybe this leads to ay out."  
  
So they started down the tunnel. They came to the bottom and found a smalathway. This path lead them into a small chamber. The entire way was liy the soft glow from the stones.  
  
" What is this place?" Hitomi asked. Everyone looked a Merle who waooking around in wonder.  
  
" This .....It's Rab's workshop! We're outside the inner walls!"  
  
Rab's workshop? Wufei shivered at the thought. For some reason he got thestinct feeling the Heero and Rab were somehow related.  
  
" So what do we do now?" Amano asked, " We know that the enemy residen the castle. A battle rages outside. We're tra-"  
  
Amano was cut off by a deafning roar and a bright flash of light thaeemed to come out of the walls themselves. Several items in the workshoere starting to melt. Merle winced as the cut on her arm from the arroealed itself.  
  
" I think that was our exit cue." Wufei walked over to the door anpened it a crack. He then opened the door fully and they found themselven a huge room. The walls were lined with enormous seats. The smell orease and hydraulic fluid wafed through the air. They were in the Garage.  
It took them half an hour just to find the exit. After a fierce strugglith the door, which was constructed of wood and iron, they entered inthe street. They were outside the upper wall. The streets were empty. Theople were hiding in their homes. The four of them slinked through theserted city toward the lower wall. They climbed the hundred foot laddeo the top of the walls. A surprise awaited them. The battlefielas.....inactive. The melefs were nothing more than hunks of smokinubble. The Zaibach floating mountain fortress seemed to disappear inthin air. Looking down the length of the wall, they could see a small forcathered a the gate. As they came closer they could hear someone bellow tpen the gates.  
  
" Van! Up here!" Hitomi waved a hand at the coal-haired King.  
  
" Hitomi? Where is everyone?"  
  
" I don't know."  
  
Van shouted " The gate energists must be inoperative. You have to open theanually."  
  
Hitomi and the other four nodded. Van continued. " Inside the gatehouse i series of levers. Each one must be shifted manually and at the samime."  
  
Hitomi and her comapnions dashed off to the Gatehouse. In about threinutes, the iron gates creaked their way half open. Reunited with someois friends, Wufei tried to fill them in. Van and Hitomi disappeared foeveral minutes for a private reunion.  
  
" So what do we do now?" Hitomi asked. Van gazed up toward the castle anighed.  
  
" We take back that which is rightfully ours. For what they have donoday, they will surely perish." 


	19. chap19

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 19- Insanity at Its Finest!  
  
  
  
Rab opened his eyes. He scanned his surroundings. Well, at least I'm not in Hell. In fact unless I am mistaken, I am laying on a soft bed. Rab tried to get up but found that his legs were immobile. When he looked He found that they were encased in a metal and plastic sheath, which had wires running from it to a monitor next to his bed. The monitor said::  
  
  
  
Do not move! Leg reconstuction in process! Aborting reconstruction process will result in drastic complications.!  
  
I knew it! I am in Hell after all!  
  
Relena Peacecraft was sitting at her desk filling out papers. Laying one down, she bumped a picture of Heero to the floor. She leaned out of her seat and picked it up. She looked at it longingly. It had been several months since he disappeared. When she found that Wufei, Quatre, Trowa and Duo had disappeared in a similar way she begged Zechs to set up some kind of search party. Agreeing, Zechs sent agents everywhere. The entire Sank kingdom was scoured for Heero. The colonies were searched for Duo and Trowa. Quatre's Astroid Factory was scrutinized. China was searched for Wufei. They all had vanished in the same way: In a flash of yellow light. Then two days ago, some idiot crashed into her limo from about thirty feet in the air. He had appeared in a flash of yellow light also. Relena had pleaded with Zechs to let him stay in the palace, not a hospital. She hoped that he might have information on Heero. A small light lit up on her desk. He was awake! As fast as she was getting to his room, Zechs was there first, as well as a full security force.  
  
" Sorry Lena, you have to sit the first interrogation out."  
  
" But Zechs, you promised!"  
  
" Now Relena, I said you could talk with him if he knew anything. Now go get some fresh air while we see what he knows."  
  
Zechs turned away and entered a room. He and the security force entered. The room was empty.  
  
  
  
As Zechs entered his former room, Rab was hobbling down a side corridor in nothing but a pair of shorts, most of his clothes clenched between his teeth. He turned a corner and found himself in a bedroom. Hurrying, he dressed and adjusted his sword. He was about to exit when the door opened and he found himself looking at the Vice-Prime Minister Relena Peacecraft. The sound of hurrying feet caused Rab to look around Relena in alarm. Seeing Rab's peril, Relena shoved him back into the room and shut the door. She looked at rab, who had stumbled to the floor. She rolled him over to a closet and shut the door. Seconds later came a pounding on the door. Without waiting for an answer, three secutity personel rocketed through the doors and systematically began to ransack her room. Relena held her breath as they checked the closet. When they were satisfied that no one was intruding they left. Relena promptly went to the closet and looked around. It appeared empty......  
  
" Are they gone?" The voice was somewhat muffled and seemed to be coming from her trunk of winter clothes. She cautiously approached the trunk and opened it.  
  
" How did you fit yourself in there?" she asked.  
  
" I'm double-jointed, besides, where else would I hide?"  
  
Rab grunted a few times, the him and everything else erupted from the trunk. He tried to get to his feet, but they buckled.  
  
" I think I need to rest a bit."  
  
" Your legs won't be steady for another few hours. I'm surprised you made it out of your room." Relena fetched a pair of stockings off Rab's head.  
  
" What happened?"  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
Rab shook his head.  
  
" You fell thirty feet straight into the windshield of my limo. Both your legs were broken. We took the liberty of rebuilding your legs."  
  
Rab shut his left eye. " What's a limo?"  
  
" A limousiene." ( excuse the spelling) " You know, a really big car"?  
  
Rab's face looked blank. " Before I jump to any conclusions, would you mind telling me something?"  
  
" Sure."  
  
" Now don't think I am crazy, but what planet am I on?"  
  
" Does Earth ring a bell?"  
  
Rab couldn't have looked more horrified if Relena had turned out to be a doppleganger out to kill him.  
  
" HOW IN THE NAME OF THE SEVEN DRAGONS DID I GET HERE????????????" 


	20. chap20

I do not ow escaflowne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 20  
  
  
  
Relena Peacecraft nervously watched as Rab frantically paced the floor of his room. He was mumbling something that sounded like mathematical equasions. She watched as he slowly slowed down, and finally stopped in front of the door.  
  
" Uh-oh."  
  
" What's uh-oh?" Relena asked.  
  
" Unless my calculations are incorrect, we are about to have a very unpleasant guest." Rab's statement was accented by a violent explosion that rocked the palace. Relena raced to the window and looked out. Rab strode over to the window and glanced over his shoulder.  
  
" Copycat. Why is it that I am always the one plagued with lunitics?"  
  
" You know that thing?"  
  
" I'm afraid so. I'm also afraid that if he isn't stopped, you're going to have a big mess to clean up." Rab opened the window and stepped out onto the ledge. " Now when he walks by, with a little precision, I might be able to get on his shoulder."  
  
Rab went into a crouch. As the melef walked by the window ( If you can call it walking. In the author's opinion, it was more like stumbling.) Rab launched himself onto the shoulder. Scrambling over the head, he looked upsidedown into the face mask. It wasn't who he suspected.  
  
  
  
Van looked out over Fanelia. It was a depressing sight. "I hate war." he thought. He turned the Escaflowne back towrd the camp. Someone had started an insurrection within the city. Someone had instituted a rebellion and had locked the King out of his own city. With a sigh, he headed back toward camp. The future looked pretty bleak. He was short on troops, mech and patience. He reached the camp, exited Escaflowne, and went to his tent. He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands.  
  
Hitomi looked at him from over top her book. She wondered if he knew how like Rab he looked, with his head in his hands like that. Unfortunatley, she didn't think bed time would remedy his gloomy mood. He has a right to be gloomy though. I wish I could do something. She silently crept out of the tent and went hunting for someone to talk to. She soon found Allen sitting on a rock looking up at the stars.  
  
" Hello Allen."  
  
"Hello."  
  
" What are you looking at?" she asked  
  
" I don't know, just looking."  
  
" Allen, what can we do?!" She blurted out.  
  
Allen looked at her kindly." Not much I'm afraid. I've already appealed to King Aston. He refused to send any help. Not profitable."  
  
" What about Freid?" Hitomi asked.  
  
Allen winced. Chid was a sore spot with him. To deal with Freid, you dealt with Chid. And for a ten year-old he was a very unforgiving person.  
  
" Who can we trust with a message?" Allen asked.  
  
" He's your son." Hitomi replied  
  
Allen groaned. " I need someone to go with me."  
  
Hitomi gave him a kiss on the cheek. " I'll go ask the Major."  
  
Allen watched her go. " Why do I always get a headache when I come to this country?"  
  
  
  
" Come out of there you brown haired nightmare before I drag you out by your ponytail!" Rab had gotten over his disappointment of not finding Dilandau in the Alseides. Now he was trying to get the current operator out. For every few of Rab's words the Alseides tried to crush him by ramming into things.  
  
"Get your-" THUMP! " ass" THUMP! " out of there" THUMP! " before I have to get nasty!"  
  
His last words were responded to by trying to grind him into a large wall.  
  
" Ok! That's it!!" Brushing the brick dust out of his eyes, Rab navigated the waist of the rogue melef till he was clinging to it's chestplate. Fishing into one of his ample pockets, he brought out a tool that looked like a small marlinspike. He jammed it into a small opening in the melef and then twisted. With a screeching like tearing metal, the melef ground to a halt. The hatch opened.  
  
The pilot fell out. It was Duo Maxwell.  
  
Rab brought the unconscious figure of Duo over the the steps. Relena bent over him.  
  
" I think he is ok." She said.  
  
Their attention was drawn by an increasinly loud thudding sound. It was Zechs in the Tallgeese. 


	21. chap21

I do not own escaflowne!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 21- Chaos Dawn  
  
  
  
Rab whistled between his teeth. The machine he was looking at was at least twice the size of anything he had ever seen. What was even bigger was the rather large tube pointed at the Alseides Duo had just vacated. Although Rab couldn't be sure, it looked like Zechs was going to destroy the guymelef. Breaking off from admiring the Tallgeese, he shouted.  
  
" There's no one in there! I need that!"  
  
The Tallgeese, paying him no heed, leveled the tunnel-shaped mouth of the dobergun at the alseides. Just when Rab thought all was most certainly lost, a crima claw shot out from somewhere. Its course altered and it streaked straight toward the mobile suit. Before Zechs could react, the liquid metal claw sliced the dobergun right off the shoulder of the Tallgeese!  
  
" Yipe!" Rab dodged aside as the wreck of a dobergun smashed into the ground. His head twidted around on his neck trying to locate the other melef. Meanwhile, Zechs was desparetley tryimg to interpet the barrage of alarms that were going off inside the Tallgeese.  
  
" What the hell happened?" He thought.  
  
Then a voice crackled over his radio. " Stand down, Zechs, It can't hurt anyone now. It has no pilot."  
  
" Heero? How do you know?"  
  
" Trust me. Now why don't you put that antique away before you kill someone."  
  
Zechs turned the Tallgeese away. " If this is a trick, I'm going to seriously hurt someone."  
  
  
  
" I don't believe it! I'll never believe it!" Zechs stormed out of the room. Rab and Heero had just tried to explain the past events when Zechs exploded. Heero had made to grab Zechs and keep him from leaving, but Rab had put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
" Let him go. We can't force him to accept what we have told him. He has to force himeself."  
  
" I guess so. What side of this war are you on?"  
  
Rab looked Heero in the eye. " Fanelia."  
  
Heero matched Rab's gaze. " Your voice sounds familar....You sound like....." His eyes widened. " You're that crazy pilot! You tried to blow us all up! Crazy people should die!"  
  
Rab cracked his knuckles. " First of all, I'm not crazy, I'm insane, there's a difference. Second of all, you touch me and I'll carve every major organ out of your body with a dull spoon."  
  
Heero shivered involontarily. A welcome distraction occured when Duo rocketed off of the couch where Rab had dumped him when they came inside. Peering painfully around him, he noticed his two observers.  
  
" Heero, why do I hurt so much? And where are we?"  
  
" As to why you hurt all over, probably because you fell on your head when you fell out of that deathtrap he calls a guymelef." Heero jerked his thumb at Rab. " As to our location, we are back on Earth." Duo fainted.  
  
Rab shook his head as he looked at Duo's prone form on the floor.  
  
" Well if you'll excuse me, I've go work to do."  
  
" Where you going?" Heero asked  
  
" If you don't mind, I'm missing my own war."  
  
Rab strode outside and extracted the energists from Duo's melef. He then climbed into the alseides that Heero had been using.  
  
" Wait!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Heero was leading a still groggy Duo behind him. " We're coming with you."  
  
Rab raised an eyebrow. " Why?"  
  
Heero sat Duo on the foot of the melef.  
  
" We helped start that chaos up there, now we're going to help you finish it off."  
  
" There might be hope for you two yet."  
  
Rab climbed into the cockpit of the Alseides and threw a switch. Nothing happened. Frowning, he tried again. Same thing.  
  
" Grrrrrrrr....." He slammed his hand on the switch. The hiss and whine of the energists was heard. The last thing Heero heard before the blue light enveloped them was Rab muttering about the Alseides being a piece of junk. 


	22. chap22

I do not own escaflowne!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 22  
  
  
  
They landed with a bang. The alseides guymelef landed on its head, snapping the main support coulmn. Rab shook his head as he examined the damage.  
  
" You would think, that for a technelogiclly superior nation, Zaibach could build a quality melef."  
  
Rab's attention shifted when several groans attracted his attention. He had temporarily forgotten his passengers. He examined them carefully. Duo was the first to recover.  
  
" I just had an awful dream. I was on Earth and I left without saying anything to Hilde." He looked around. " Oh no! It was real!"  
  
He fainted again. Rab shook his head.  
  
" Now where did the other one go?" Rab looked around, trying to find Heero. He was about to go back to Duo, when he came upon a sight so funny, he would have laughed out loud if he had any less self-control. Heero was sprawled flat in the middle of a small glen. Sitting on his chest was the slim form of an infant dragon. The green lizard was peering curiously into Heero's face. The vetran gundam pilot's face was a confusion of fear and distaste.  
  
" If you two are done, we really should find a place to hole up before it gets dark and the big lizards come out." Rab said between suppressed laughter.  
  
" I would if this creature would get off me." Heero growled.  
  
Rab strode over to the spectacle and prodded the young lizard with his boot. The dragon responded by trying to breathe fire into Rab's face, succeding only in spewing a cloud of irritating smoke. After its unsuccessful attack by fire, the infant tried something more physical. Now, Rab was as fast as any human could wish to be. But this infant dragon, not understanding human whims, decided to move even faster. The scaly lizard leaped off Heero's chest and head-butted Rab in the stomach. They both went down in a heap. Rab struggled for a choke hold on the dragon, but scales being slippery as they are, succedded in merely scraping his hands. The battle finally ended with Rab in the same position Heero was in a few minutes ago.  
  
Rab spoke to the dragon sitting on top of him. " Don't you have anything better to do than harrass inoscent travelers?"  
  
" I hardly think you are innocent."  
  
Rab twisted his head around. Before him stood a tall figure. He looked about 6 feet tall. His skin was an off white color, with bright green hair flowing down to his shoulders.In fact everything about him seemed to be slightly green. Rab did not need to see the ears to know that he was looking at a tree elf. The elf whistled and the dragon hopped off Rab and trotted over to its master. As the elf turned back to Rab, Heero made a sudden move to his weapon.  
  
" Heero- no!"  
  
Rab's warning came too late. The elf, who had payed Heero no attention when he first appeared, gestured with his hand, and the nearest tree stretched out a limb and knocked the sword from Heero's hand. He fell to the ground cursing in pain. The elf turned back to Rab.  
  
" That was unwise. We elves do not encourage visits to our forests. The penalties can be harsh."  
  
Rab was in a very feeble position. First, he had no magical talent to combat the elf. Second, he could not disregard Heero's life, and to attack would be to do just that. Rab opened his mouth to say something when,somehow, Duo decided to stop fainting awhile and give a much needed distraction. Bursting from behind a bush, Duo threw his sword in the direction of the elf. The tree elf had to take his attention off of Rab to deflect the sword. Big mistake. As soon as the elf's attention faltered, Rab's hand delved into one of his spacious pockets and came out with a small bean-bag type object filled with powerded lead. As the elf turned back to Rab, the lead-filled hackey sack struck him full in the forehead. He crumpled to the ground.  
  
  
  
Esel woke with a very unpleasant pain in his head. He felt like someone had been at him with a melef sized cudgel. He tried to reach up to touch his head, but found that he was securely bound. He then tried to open his eyes, but the brilliant rays of the setting sun proved to be too much, and he almost passed out again. Slowly, he again tried to open his eyes. This time he succeded. He found his captors sitting on the ground, their back's leaning against trees. He only counted two though. Where was the other one? His head hurt too much to think of a locator spell.  
  
" So, you're awake. You elves sure do have bad manners."  
  
The insult brought Esel to his full awareness. He was on the verge of muttering a spell when he saw who was talking to him. He was about 6'3" tall. His auburn hair reflected the passing rays of the sun. Ice-blue eyes pierced the elf's bright green ones. Esel checked his spell. Why, he didn't know. Something about this person seemed different in a lethal sort of way. He showed all the marks of extreme intelligence as well as some signs of slight insanity.  
  
" So tell me Elf, how close am I to Fanelia?"  
  
" Fanelia? About three weeks walk."  
  
Rab cursed his luck. He would be long getting there. There had to be a faster way than walking. He just had to think of it. His thought was interruppted by the elf.  
  
" If you plan on traveling to Fanelia, there is something you should know...................... 


	23. chap23

I do not own escaflowne, nor do I own " The hardest part of the night" By Bon Jovi.  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 23  
  
  
  
  
  
In the heat of the street of the city  
  
A young boy hides the pain  
  
And he walks so tall, trying to hang on  
  
But he knows he's going down again  
  
I know he's going down...  
  
Darkness fades he's the prince of his city  
  
In a place where they all know your name  
  
You can see in their eyes life so paralyzed.  
  
Your just a pawn in a losin' game  
  
You lose at life it ain't no game  
  
Hear their cries  
  
The hardest part is the night  
  
(In the night, hear their cries, in the night)  
  
Stay alive  
  
The hardest part is the night, it's the night, it's the night...  
  
All alone in a place where the lonely  
  
They all have to walk through the rain  
  
And they dance on the edge where you only  
  
Only pray that it has to end  
  
That the night ain't no friend  
  
Hear their cries  
  
The hardest part is the night  
  
(In the night, hear their cries, in the night)  
  
Stay alive  
  
The hardest part is the night, it's the night, it's the night...  
  
Hear their cries  
  
The hardest part is the night  
  
(In the night, hear their cries, in the night)  
  
Stay alive  
  
The hardest part is the night, it's the night, it's the night...  
  
These four walls they could tell you some stories  
  
About lying and dying and fame  
  
There's a price that you pay for the glory  
  
About losing and choosing and pain.  
  
Hear their cries  
  
The hardest part is the night  
  
In the night, hear their cries, in the night  
  
Stay alive  
  
In the night, stay alive, in the night,  
  
  
  
" WHAT!??? Those traitors! How dare they!" Esel was always amazed at how wrathful humans can get when provoked. They young elf ( young by elven standards.) recently finished relating details of the rebellion. It seems that the Nobles of Fanelia had been plotting against Van for quite some time. Hitomi arriving from Earth, and Van's plans to marry her had been the last straw. It had been a mere coincedence that Zaibach was planing an attack. When they had heard of Dilandau's plans, they had sent a messenger to him offering the throne if he could incapacitate the troops still loyal to Van. He had accepted. As a result, the Fanelian army was almost totally destroyed, and the rightful king was locked outside the city. Van's remaining army was being driven farther from the city walls each day. A slight dent had been put in their plans when Rab ( Rab had not yet told the elf his name, and the gundam pilots had not voulonteered any information.) had self-destructed, a plan which Heereo was surprised to hear. Rab only looked at him and smiled, and Heero was thoroughly convinced he was the scariest person he had ever met. When Duo pointed out that this was the way Heero himself acted, Heero frowned and pretended there was something interesting about the ground. As the elf finished his story, everyone looked to Rab. He was sitting on a chunk of granite about the size of a football. His eyes appeared unfocuesed, his clothes rumpled.  
  
" What do we do?" Duo asked. No answer. Heero waved his hand in front of Rab's face with no effect. He appeared completly comatose. Sighing, they sat down, each with their own thoughts. Duo was thinking about how he was going to explain things to Hilde if he ever got back. Heero was actually thinking about two things at once. One half of his brain was thinking about his responsibility to Relena, while the other half was debating on how to successfully get home alive. Presently it started to drizzle. That drizzle turned to an outright melef stopping pour. The pilots and the elf, drenced to the core, looked expectantly at Rab as his thought processes returned to normal and he raised his head.  
  
" So what do we do?" Duo asked.  
  
Rab looked at each of them in turn. He then turned his face toward the sky and spoke in a barely audible whisper.  
  
" Kill them. Kill them all."  
  
Two days later saw the four at a small outpost of Freid. Rab hadn't spoken since that night they had met the elf. In fact the only reason Esel was with them now was the fact that his small dragon had become hopelessly attached to Heero. Esel never told any of the others that the reason he was not in the company of his fellow elves was that he was exiled from The Haven. ( the legendary city where all elves dwell.) He had spoken against the elf practice of not taking part in the affairs of the planet. The elders had exiled him, never to return.  
  
"Well," the elf thought, " I longed for adventure and now it seems I have it."  
  
The outpost welcomed them heartily enough. Outposts don't have many visitiors, and Chide's policy of welcoming all held true. Somehow, a rumor started to circulate that Heero and Duo were from the Mystic Moon. When they asked Rab if they should acknowledge, Rab had merely shrugged his shoulders. He knew no one short of a mage would even begin to believe. So Heero and Duo earned them 2 rooms and a weeks worth of food simply by relating stories and discriptions of Earth. Rab had gone to the smith to see about a repair to the steel toe of his boot. The smith (as they all do) talked while he worked. It seemed recently, a runner for Fanelia had approached Prince Chide ( Chide would not ascend the throne until he was fifteen.) seeking aid in a struggle against a rebellion that Van suspected was related to his recent battle. Chide had flat out refused. He said the last time they fought Zaibach the result was disaterous. The smith did not notice Rab's elevated interest. Rab accepted the new steel toe, and went to hunt up the cobbler to attach it to his boot. He found the cobbler in the mughouse, passed out over a mug of foul smelling liquid. Rab heaved him to his feet and dumped him in the horse trough outside. The cobbler came awake with a violence that would have apalled Quatre had he been there.  
  
" What do you want?" the cobbler asked. Rab held out the steel toe and his boot. The cobbler looked at the boot and then at Rab's face. Something he saw persuaded him not to argue the point that he was off duty. He took the toe and the boot to his shop and affixed them together. Rab went his way. On his return to his room, he found the elf playing a harp, and Heero and Duo arm wrestling in the corner. Rab walked over to a bed and flopped down he was soon asleep.  
  
The next morning, the four prepared to depart. Rab still had not said anything since they had met the elf. Heero, not really expecting an answer asked," Which way?" Rab looked out into the wilderness.  
  
" North. And may those bastards be etearnally damned after I'm done with them." 


	24. chap24

You all must be hard of hearing......I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 24- Strength and Honor  
  
  
  
" I tell you, it can't be done!" The two melef masters, Miki and Koch, were arguing with Major Killgore. " I have less than 400 men and you want them to begin an assualt on the city walls? Those walls are damn near 50 feet high and 30 feet thick! Do you think I am a fool?"  
  
"Well we have to do something. The men are getting restless. We may have to face a mutiny if we don't give them something to do. The king is totally distraught. He is in neither the mood nor the right mind to think properly. He has not yet learned to control his anger. We must now do what he cannot." Koch looked to Miki for approval of what he had just said, then he looked back to Killgore. The Major's shoulders slumped and the air of gloomyness in the room intensified. Killgore mumbled,  
  
" Well, what can we do? We have 400 men and 2 melefs. How can we possibly do anything with such limited resources?"  
  
Miki looked to Commander Koch. " Do you remember what Rab said on the night that Fanelia was burned the first time?"  
  
Koch nodded. " We were all up on the cliff watching the city burn. One of the farmers was comforting his wife. She had finally stopped crying and had asked her husband.'What do we do now?' Rab was standing nearby, treating wounds. He looked up from bandaging an arm and said ' First we treat all the wounded. Then we find food and shelter. And then...... We improvise.'"  
  
Killgore looked at the two commanders. " But what do we have to improvise with?We need a miracle." Miki looked thoughtful.  
  
" Use your imagination Major. Put the word out to your men. The one who comes up with a the plan that gets us inside the city walls gets some kind of reward. Trust your men Major. They are 400 brains. We're only three. They'll figure something out."  
  
Van was laying in his tent staring at the wall. He felt incredibly peaceful. Everything felt perfect. Hitomi watched as the Healer sedated the King. His latest outburst at being helpless convinced her to let the healer drug him. She did not see the visitor until he put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the person. He was extremly tall and hansome. He was clad in bright silver armor from head to toe. From his waist hung a jewel encrusted sword. Hitomi tried to look at his face, but the bright light that radiated from him made it difficult to tell exactly what he looked like.  
  
" Fear not princess, for I come bringing good news."  
  
" Who are you?" Hitomi asked.  
  
" My name is rather hard to pronounce in your tongue. Let us just say I am, in essence, the messenger to the Gods. It is my job to see that Humanity does not destroy themselves. Although in the case of Zaibach, I would gladly make an exception. Fanelia has always been loyal to the gods, so shall we be loyal to Fanelia. You are entitled to make a single request of me."  
  
" Is it possible to bring people back from the grave?"  
  
" Depends on the person."  
  
" Rab?"  
  
" I could, but I won't."  
  
" But you just said I could make one request!!" Hitomi wailed.  
  
" If you will let me finish, I won't bring him back simply because he is not dead. He still lives. And unless my eyes in the sky deceive me, he is going to kill his horse getting here."  
  
" Rab's alive?" Hitomi thought she was going to faint.  
  
The silver plated guardian grinned." Yep. and I'm glad I'm not going to fight him. God I may be, but that human scares me."  
  
Hitomi giggled in spite of herself. " Do you think you could get him here a little faster?"  
  
" Now that I can do." Hitomi watched as the god began to make motions with his fingers. She felt an immense power pulse from the being in front of her. Then, just when was begining to think they were going to be here all night, light flared through out the camp. Women screamed and soldiers yelped as four horses fell from the sky. The next moment three people and one elf impacted in various places around camp. As luck would have it, Rab landed right in the middle of the officer's conference between the Melef Masters and the Major. As Rab groaned to his feet, Miki looked at the Major.  
  
" Now how's that for a miracle?" Rab had by this time regained his feet and was looking at tear in his shirt. He looked at the stars in the sky and said,  
  
" Thanks. This was my favorite shirt." He looked at the officers staring wonderingly around him. " What's our status?"  
  
Miki answered. " Not so good I'm afraid. We need supplies and more men.I think it is hopeless."  
  
Rab looked around him at the rest of the camp. " Not really Miki, not really. All we need is a little strenghth and honor." 


	25. chap25

I do not own escaflowne!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 25- Unlikley Allies  
  
  
  
" Is this what you pictured it as?"  
  
" No. This is more difficult."  
  
The orderly watched as Rab stared down at the castle from the cliff. Reclaiming Fanelia was not going to be easy. It had been reconstructed so well that it was probably the quality of the rebuild that was Van's downfall. The walls were 50 feet high, and about 50 feet thick. Topping the walls were rows of downward pointing spikes, making an assault on the wall, at best extremley painful. There were two gates. The main gate was slightly higher than the walls. It was constucted of the finest melef-iron in existence. It was opened and closed by two energist powered actuators. If the energists failed to operate, ( As in the instance of Hitomi escaping from the city.) There are levers in the guardhouse that activate a series of weights inside the walls themselves. These weights and a system of pulleys open the gates, albeit very slowly. The other gate was an emergency exit. It worked in much the same way as the main gate with one exception: If the weight system was used, the doors were flung open violently, often throwing them off their hinges. There were also four guard houses, one on each side of the gates. The guardhouses were often staffed by criminals taken from penal colonies. It was their job to make sure the gates worked right. These criminals were always overseen by a Fanelian taskmaster who made sure all was as it should be.  
  
" I wish evil would get it through its thick head that it cannot prevail." Rab snorted. He looked at the orderly carefully. The orderly was no more than 13 years of age. ( An orderly on Gaea can be likened to what Earth inhabitants would call a squire.) As all orderlies, he regarded melef pilots as invincible. While technically not accurate, it served to improve morale among them. This particular orderly had lost his master in the aforementioned battle. He had unofficially attatched himself to Rab, and not wanting to discourage the young fellow, Rab allowed it.  
  
" So tell me Gaff, how would you get in?" Gaff thought for a moment. His face contorted in various shapes as he pondered the question. Seeing the boy was unsure of an answer, Rab helped him out.  
  
" Over, under, around, or through?" Rab asked. Gaff thought for a moment more.  
  
" Dig under?" He asked. Rab favored him with a small smile.  
  
" My first thought too, however I think it would take too long."  
  
Gaff thought again. " How about through? A melef could bash through those walls in no time." Rab rumpled Gaff's hair.  
  
" An interesting concept, but it has several faults. First of all, contrary to popular rumor, melef pilots are not immortal. Second, such a beating would likley total the melef and we have none to spare. Indeed with only the Escaflowne and the Shazarade, our resources are severly limited. However, your idea has some merit. We could go through the wall, but it would have to be extremley swift. Nothing short of an army of dwarves would............" Rab stopped and looked and Gaff " What did I just say?"  
  
" Which part?" Gaff asked  
  
" The last part."  
  
" You said that it would take an army of dwarves."  
  
" Gaff, I think we have stumbled onto our plan. Come, let us grace the soon to be Queen with our company."  
  
Dilandau was distressed. Everyone on this planet was as humorless as Folken in a lab. He winced as tried to move his shoulder. Eveyone seemed afraid of him. Not that he thought this bad, it just made it very difficult to get information. He had tried to force information out of a young blonde- haired woman and had been rewarded with a lancing pain that exploded in his shoulder. And now he was sitting in what appeared to be the Earth equivilent of a dungeon nusing something these miserable people called a "bullet wound". Little did he know that the woman he had tried to harass was known to most of the planet as a female renagade that advocated violence. Little did he know he had just tried to mess with Quatre Winner's betrothed. Dilandau had no idea he had just been shot be Dorthy Catalonia.  
  
" It will work I tell you!!" Gaff was loyally defending Rab's plan. It had been met with scorn and rejection when presented to soldiers.  
  
" Simmer down Gaff." Rab spoke from the table. " They are entitled to their opinion."  
  
" Oh yes," Gaff turned sarcastic," And while they argue and squabble, our kingdom falls down around us. You couldn't make them cooperate with each other with anything less than a billy club." Gaff, having ran out of breath, flopped back down in their chair.  
  
" Well that concludes this strategy session." Major Killgore dissmissed the comandants and they filed out.  
  
" Will you stay Rab?" the major asked. Rab checked his steps and reseated himself at the table. Gaff was still sitting in his chair, defiantly eyeing the major.  
  
" Well it seems you two have come up with something resembling a plan. Rab, as pilot, you are not under my command. But know this: I will do everything I can to help you, short of loaning you men. I don't exactly believe in your plan, but I do believe in you. I am not a politician like my counterparts, yet I cannot afford to openly defy them. I cannot afford mutiny. So engage this plan of yours, and let us hope to hell you know what you're doing." Rab saluted and strode to the door. " Oh Rab, one more thing." Here Killgore glanced at Gaff and then nodded to Rab." The ceremony will be tonight." 


	26. chap26

I do not own escaflowne!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 26- Devil dog!!  
  
  
  
Filth. Incurable stench. These were the impressions Relena got from the Preventer base on Earth. Not filth in the normal sense, but the sense of spilled blood. Every war seemed to be one too many as far as Relena was concerened. But as much as she detested war, Relena also realized how important war could be at times. Without such wars as The American Revolution, freedom would be virtually unknown. Violence seemed to be the one language that humans could universally understand. But here and now was not the time to contemplate the foolishness of the current generation. Relena was on a errand for her brother. Noin ( The commander of the Preventer base in the Middle East.) had reported a 10 inch raise in the water level of the Mediterranean Sea. Several sea ports and costal areas are under water. Subs had been dispatched and divers had taken pictures. In the center of this sea was now a mountain of rock about two and a half miles tall. Zechs wanted to know if the Preventers needed any help, and had sent Relena as his liasion. Relena was not about to argue. It gave her a chance to get away from it all, although now she was having second thoughts. She made her way down the corridor, her boots clicking on the concrete floors. She made a right hand turn and stood facing Noin's office. Her knock was answered with a polite" enter".  
  
" How are you Relena?"  
  
" I could be better."  
  
Noin nodded. "We all could be. This is really baffling everyone. Where is Heero? Usually he would jump at the chance to go back on duty and investigate this thing."  
  
Relena didn't think it important to tell the strange story of Heero's disappearence, re-appearence, disappearence. So she chose to ignor the question and ask one of her own.  
  
" So what is that thing?"  
  
Noin shook her head. " If only we knew. All we know is it is about 2 and a half miles tall and is riddled with a web of tunnels."  
  
Relena didn't answer. She was concentrating on one of the pictures Noin had placed before her. She picked up the magnifying glass on the desk and looked at the picture again. She had spotted a vaguely familiar object. She couldn't remember where she had seen it before. She would think on this later.  
  
" Do the Preventers need any assistance?" Relena asked. Again Noin shook her head.  
  
" No, as there is nothing much more to do, although..........."  
  
Noin was cut off by a shrill, bone-chilling scream that filtered up from the lower level. The detention level.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
Noin frowned. " Some crazy brought in by the police. He was sane enough to give us a description of the person who shot him. And from the sound of it, it sounds like Dorthy has been out clubbing again and he tried to assault her."  
  
When she thought about it later, Relena would never know what prompted her to see the prisoner. She would never fully understand why she decided to visit him. But as Noin led her down the hall, she had a feeling of a great foreboding. A sense she had not felt since a man had fallen from the sky and crashed feet first through the windshield of her limo. When the guard led he through the door, she saw one of the most depraved people she had ever seen. In his madness he had torn off the dressing the hospital had put on his wound. He kept crying for a person named Jajuka.  
  
" I thought I told you to keep him sedated!" Noin scathed the guard.  
  
" My apologies Miss Noin, but we have run out of sedative and the hospital says we still owe them for the last batch."  
  
Noin was about to scathe the guard again when she realized he was not staring at her but rather his attention was fixed by what was inside. Sensing something amiss, she turned and was promptly flung against the wall. What she saw was a creature that she had dreamed only existed in fairy tails. Standing in the cell with the prisoner was something that could be described as a cross between a dog and a man. The fur was a pale brown and in his eyes danced the flames of a tortured soul. He stooped over and touced the wound on Dilandau's shoulder which sealed itself. He picked up the limp for and stood up. He stared into Relena's whimpering eyes and immediatley, she saw everything. She remembered where she had see that strange piece. Further she now knew where and what it was. She knew wwhat this thing was and who he was carrying. She knew where Heero had gone and what he was doing. She knew who the limo crasher was and where he was from. She had a vision of a horrible war that was raging in a different world. She knew tha so long as the Gundam pilots where there, she must help. She shivered and then realized the they were gone. She stumbled over to Noin.  
  
" Are you all right?"  
  
" I think so......ouch!"  
  
Relena hauled Noin up to her office and called an ambulance. After she was finished there, she made her way to the cell again and began searching for the prisoner's belongings. She found a sword and a small crystal about the size of a golf ball. She knew this crystal was what she needed. How she knew she didn't know, but she knew. She also knew that she would need help. She would call her friends.  
  
  
  
" But why?" Gaff asked  
  
" Because you're needed here. Hitomi needs someone to run errands for her while she tends to Van. With him out of action, people have been taking to looking at her as de facto leader of Fanelia. You should be honored."  
  
Gaff looked at Rab agast partly because he was being left behind and partly because he was addressing the King by his given name. Gaff had just gone through the ceremony which graduated him from an orderly to an apprentice. When Fanelia was once again won, Rab was to teach him to be a pilot.  
  
" When I get back, we'll start your lessons. Until then stick close to Hitomi and if you get bored, hunt up Allen Shazar or the elf, Esel. Now can I count on you?"  
  
Gaff only nodded. Rab spurred his horse and was off. The first phase of the plan was almost complete. 


	27. chap27

I do not own Escaflowne!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 27  
  
  
  
Allen shook his head wearily. He was a soldier, and as a result, he had no experience striking deals with a merchant. This was one of the few times where he wished he had Rab's personal ability to make people do what he wanted. Merchants, he knew, concerned themselves with little more than money. So if a venture did not involve profit, they wern't going to back it. When Rab nominated him to persuade the king to let him have the Crusade, Allen did not know that his airship was parading around Austuria with several wealthy merchants. Gaddes was just as disgusted as Allen was, but he had to follw orders. So Allen had taken the Shazarade to Palace to appeal to King Aston. His plea had no avail and now he was pretty much out of options. Rab's plan depended on him getting the Crusade.  
  
" Allen?"  
  
Allen turned slowly around and faced Millerna. His eyes roved over her until he spied the engagement ring Dryden Fassa had given her.  
  
" I'm in a depressive mood. It seems I don't have what it takes to persuade a merchant to agree with me."  
  
" Poor Allen! Tell me what you need." Allen proceded to tell her how bad he neede the Crusade.  
  
Millerna shook her head. " Fanelia involved in a war again? Why can't they learn to get along with their enemies?"  
  
Allen snorted sarcastically. " I'd like to see Austuria get along with Zaibach without being involved in a war!"  
  
Millerna's face hardened. She knew as well as everyone else the part Austuria played in the fall of Freid. To this day, Chide still refused to engage in trade relations with them. She looked at the floor a moment and tried to think of an equally scathing remark, but she could not. In those moments she remembered Van Fanel and Merle. She remembered the battle in the arena when Escaflowne had defeated the three melefs and many a Noble had lost a fortune in bets. She also remembered the market report that stated the imports Austuria made. She recalled a table that showed Fanelia was the leading supplier of grain to Austuria.  
  
" I'll talk to Father."  
  
  
  
Folken cautiously made his way across the ruined city. Ever since Dornkirk had fallen, Zaibach had become a wasteland. The country was wracked be a series of devastating civil wars. Everything was in ruins. But these facts were not what concerned him now. His mission was to find melefs to retake Fanelia. He had the idea that the Alseides would be perfect if he could find enough. As he had once fought for Zaibach, he knew where there was a large cach of melefs.....he just had to get to it. Stumbling over loose rock, he made for the eastern corner of the city. He was being extremley wary because of the factions that had arisen out of the war. There were three of them, and they were always battling one another. The cach he was looking for was located on the territory of the most vicious of the gangs. He wished he had a few dozen men with him. Folken sat down on a large boulder and tried to catch his breath. Being dead certainly knocked him out of shape. Personally, he didn't see how Rab's plan would work, but then there is that old army adage ' Doing anything can get you killed, including doing nothing.' Rab was a mystery to him. Folken could hardly believe that that ruthless, cynical person was the gentle, shy boy he found in the woods. The sound of crunch pebbles yanked Folken out of his reverie. He leaped just in time to save himself from being decapitated by a slashing sword. His right mechanical arm warded off another sword as his left hand delved to the grip of his sword.  
  
" Maybe if I die this time, they'll get the message and leave me dead." Folken muttered as slashed the throat of his first attacker.  
  
  
  
Rab wrinkled his nose at the smell in the room. He knew the Dwarves were trying to be hospitable, but it would help if they bathed once in a while. He was supposed to have a meeting with the Dwarf king and his wee advisors in a hour. As much as Rab wanted to breathe fresh air again, he was glad of the wait as it gave him time to think. The Dwarves were a race that preferred to reside underground. They mined out entire mountains for ore and gems, then lived in the space they excavated. They subsisted on such foods as could be grown in complete darkness. ( Mushrooms, molds yeasts) They only division of the dwafs construction that was located above ground were the forges. Despite their size and speech impediment, dwarves are incredible craftsmen. The weapons they wrought were functional as well as extremley beautiful. The Ispanos often employed the dwarves to make melef parts. A knock on the small door brought him back to full awareness. Rab had pretty much thought out the exact course the conversation would go. He went off to meet the king.  
  
" Tall One wantum someting to drink?" The king asked  
  
" No thank you" Rab replied  
  
" Whatum Tall One want with wee ones?" The king inquired  
  
" I need your help. I need you to help me fight an evil enemy."  
  
" Whatum in it for wee ones?"  
  
Rab smiled at the small king. " A new mountain to mine."  
  
This statement threw the Dwarf King and his advisors into an irrepressible ecstasy. They chattered amongst themselves so fast Rab found it difficult to follow the conversation. But he did gather that they were low on ores and needed a new mine.  
  
" Whatum Tall One wantum wee ones to do?"  
  
" Bore a hole through fifty feet of rock."  
  
" Tall One giveum whole mountain for thisum liitle work?"  
  
Rab flinched. He hoped Chide wouldn't have him executed for giving away a small part of Freid. " Yes"  
  
" Good!! We come. We bangum big hole!"  
  
Rab released a deep breath. Phase one was complete. 


	28. chap28

Stop making me repeat myself, It's bad for my health! I do not own escaflowne!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribulation  
  
Chapter 28  
  
  
  
Van sipped gently on the mug of tea he was holding. Dragonbane tea was the best thing for his stressed out condition. Or so said the healer anyway. His listless gaze wandered to the bed where Hitomi stirred in he sleep. He loved her more than life itself. She had repeatedly refused his attempts to send her somewhere safer. Movement near the entrance to his tent caused Van to look at the boy standing watch. Van smiled to himself as he watched Gaff try to shake off the Z montster. The boy was young, 13 at the oldest. According to Hitomi, he was Rab's apprentice. The King was curious as to how Rab was going to teach a new apprentice when his guymelef was destroyed..... Oh well, time for speculation later. As of now, Van was once again in full possession of himself. Rab had left a list of things for him to do before the reinforcements arrived. The irony of the situation did not escape his attention. A casual observer would think Rab was the king. Hell, Van thought, He certainly has earned it. Van stretched to his feet, feeling his joints pop. He took the list and read the first job.  
  
1. Take our newly-found Earth friends and get them to work on a defense system for the dwarves. Pay special attention to the shy one in the pink shirt. A brilliant mind resides under that mop of blonde hair.  
  
" Ok. Well, Let's get started." He wrapped a fur lined cloak around himself and started across the field, beckoning Gaff to follow him. As they walked together, Van observed the boy. He wore the gray robes of an apprentice and carried the traditional hardwood staff.  
  
" Do you like being an apprentice?" Van asked.  
  
" Yes sir."  
  
Curious as to how much Rab had already taught him, Van asked," Let's say the enemy captured some of the people of your country. How many captured does it take before you declare war?"  
  
Gaff warily looked at the king. " Is this some kind of surprise pre-combat quiz?"  
  
Well, Rab's sense of humor has already rubbed off on him. " Something like that."  
  
Gaff thought for a moment. Then, fastening his blue eyes on Van's brown ones, he gave his answer: " One."  
  
The Gundam pilots were grouped together in their tent, each with his own nervous habit. Heero was shadow boxing in a dark corner, Duo was drawing a sketch of the Deathscythe, Trowa was re-arranging his makup kit, Quatre was reading a book on Gaean customs, and Wufei was meditating.  
  
"If only we had our Gundams, we could clear this mess up in no time." Duo said as he finished his picture.  
  
" Well we don't so there is no use complaining." Quatre reasoned from behind his book.  
  
" Well I feel like doing something, I don't care if it is wrong." Duo defended himself.  
  
" Good, if you feel like doing something prehaps I can oblige you." After this statement Van found he had their complete attention " the time has come to prepare for our attack. I need you to prepare a defense system to protect our coming reinforcements." Van wished he felt the confidence Rab had. The pilots looked at one another. In the end it was Quatre who spoke. " We'll begin at once."  
  
Task number 2: Find Merle and give her the job of quatermaster. Have her consolidate our supplies and stretch tas far as she can.  
  
Van and Gaff found Merle sunning herself an a flat slab of rock in the sun. She was purring to herself, totally unaware of Van's presense. Before Van could stop him, Gaff extended his staff and gave her an ample poke in the ribs. Merle gave a horrific yowl and sprang several feet into the air, and landed square at Van's feet.  
  
" Not funny!!"  
  
" I thought so." Gaff replied giggling insanely  
  
" You little wretch! If you were anybody other than Rab's apprentice, I'd claw your eyes out!"  
  
This made Gaff laugh even more. Merle eyed Gaff out the corner of her eye as she turned to Van.  
  
" Are you going to let this reincarnate of Rab do this to me?" She asked  
  
" Yes."  
  
"But why?" Merle pouted  
  
" Revenge for the way you used to wake me up in the morning."  
  
Merle just sat there and divided her glowering gaze between Van and Gaff.  
  
" What was so important you had to wake me from my nap?"  
  
Van ceased his grinning and gave her her commission.  
  
" Ok........" Merle was not sure why Rab had given her this job, but she was determined not to disappoint him. Rab didn't like being disappointed, in fact, it made him quite angry.  
  
Task 3- Return to your tent, find Hitomi, go to bed, have fun, and go to sleep.  
  
" Humph!" Van headed back to his tent. 


	29. chap29

I do not own escaflowne!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Trials and Tribilation  
  
Chapter 29  
  
  
  
Rab surveyed the camp below with his glass. Gaff was standing guard outside of the king's tent, indicating that Van was inside. Rab's gaze lingered a trifle longer on the tent the Gundam piolots were occuping. A strange looking device had been built in his absence. He assumed it had something to do with defending the dwarf army. Rab replaced the glass inside its leather case and made his way back to the dwarf army. There was only a little above 500 "wee ones", but they would be enough.  
  
" Whenum us wee-ones go digum big hole?" The dwarf king asked.  
  
"Soon." Rab assured him. Looking to the mystic moon, he thought about the time he spent there. He only hoped that the seed he had planted in Relena's mind would blossom and drive her to do what he hoped it would.  
  
" Hurry Relena."  
  
  
  
" But even if I did believe you Lena, which I'm not sure I do, what can we do?" Hilde Schbeiker divided her gaze between Relena, Sally and Dorthy.  
  
" We go to help them of course."  
  
" But how? How do we get to a place that exsists only in a different demension?"  
  
Relena fished her hand into the pocket of her jeans and removed the small energist she had gotten from Dilandau's belongings. It shone with a brilliance that momentarily blinded those in the room. It seemed to radiate its own energy.  
  
" This is how we get there. All we lack now are weapons that can put an end to this war so we can bring our men home."  
  
Everyone in the room stared at Dorthy, who at Relena's last statement, started to laugh.  
  
" What's so funny?" Sally asked, irritated.  
  
" My poor Quatre. He was feeling so guilty. At least now his action will be justified."  
  
" What action?" Relena asked, eyeing Dorthy warily  
  
" Why, saving the Gundams from the sun."  
  
" Dorthy you are incorrigible." Sally said, shaking her head.  
  
" I know. Now we have three people here capable of operating the Gundams. Myself, Sally, and Hilde. We only need two more." Dorthy paused, her head bent in thought. The other three were also thinking, trying in their minds to locate a pilot whom they could trust.  
  
" How 'bout Zechs and Noin?" Sally asked at last.  
  
" No!" Relena shook her head vigorously." Last time Zechs met Rab, he almost had a heart attack."  
  
"How about the Maganacs?" Hilde suggessted. " Are any of the capable of piloting a Gundam?"  
  
Everyone looked to Dorthy. " I think Rashid may be capable, though I'm not sure about any of the others."  
  
" Well, we won't know until we try. We can take my shuttle."  
  
Folken awoke to find that he was hanging upsidedown from a tree limb. He winced as the ropes securing his feet bit deeper into his flesh. He swivled his head and made out two guards. Damn, this is going to put me off schedule. I wonder how long I was out. It was then that the nearest of the guards turned to him. Folken thought the man looked somewhat familiar. The guard strode ove to Folken, then turned to make sure the other guard had remained in place.  
  
" Are you all right milord?" he asked.  
  
Folken looked at the inverted image of his supposed captor and then recalled where he had seen him. He had been a soldier in the Vione.  
  
" I think so. Can you get me down?"  
  
The guard nodded. " Give me a minute to dispatch him." The guard jerked his head toward the other guard. When that was done, the "friendly" guard released Folken from his confinement. The two exchanged blessings and Folken once again began his search for the cache of melefs.  
  
" Just a little farther..... Ah, here it is." Folken had found the underground entrance to the Alseides cache. The inside of the man made cavern was rank with the smell of a dragon.  
  
" Oh great. Just perfect."  
  
Fumbling with a torch, he made his way deeper into the cavern. The sloping floor was littered with dragon spoor. Old and splintered bones littered the floor. Not even a mouse was moving in here. As Folken made his way deeper into the cave, the sour stench of rot became increasingly harder to bear.  
  
" Oomph!"  
  
Folken twisted around to see what it was he triped over. Moving the torch closer to his feey he realized that he had triped over the "toe" of an Alseides guymelef. Raising the torch higher in the air, the full body became visible. Carefully treading farther down the path revealed about two dozen of them.  
  
" Now if I can just get them out of here before that dragon gets home, I'll be in good shape." 


	30. Chap 30

I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!! Nor do I own the song "Saftey Dance"  
Trials and Tribulation Chapter 30  
  
We can dance if we want to  
  
We can leave your friends behind  
  
'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance  
  
Well they're, no friends of mine  
  
Say, we can go where we want to  
  
A place where they will never find  
  
And we can act like we come from out of this world  
  
Leave the real one far behind And we can dance, "dansez"  
  
We can go when we want to  
  
Night is young and so am I  
  
And we can dress real neat from our hats to our feet  
  
And surprise them with a victory cry Say, we can act if we want to  
  
If we don't nobody will  
  
And you can act real rude and totally removed  
  
And I can act like an imbecile And say We can dance, we can dance  
  
everything's out of control  
  
We can dance, we can dance  
  
We're doing it from pole to pole We can dance, we can dance  
  
Everybody look at your hands  
  
We can dance, we can dance  
  
Everybody's taking the chance Safe to dance  
  
Oh well its safe to dance  
  
Yes it safe to dance We can dance if we want to  
  
We've got all your life and mine  
  
As long as we abuse it, never going to lose it  
  
Everything will work out right I say, We can dance if we want to  
  
We can leave your friends behind  
  
'Cause your friends don't dance, and if they don't dance  
  
Well they're no friends of mine I say, we can dance, we can dance  
  
Everything's out of control  
  
We can dance, we can dance  
  
We're doing it from pole to pole We can dance, we can dance  
  
Everybody look at your hands  
  
We can dance, we can dance  
  
Everybody's taking the chance Well it's safe to dance  
  
Yes it's safe to dance  
  
Well it's safe to dance  
  
Well it's safe to dance  
  
Yes it's safe to dance  
  
Well it's safe to dance  
  
Well it's safe to dance It's a Safety Dance  
  
Well it's a Safety Dance  
  
Oh it's a Safety Dance  
  
Oh it's a Safety Dance  
  
Well it's a Safety Dance  
  
Folken set his small ditty bag on the floor of the cave and proceeded to rummage through its contents. The spell was a fairly simple transport incantation, but wisking 24 Alseides guymelefs to a destination several hundred miles away could be tricky. He arranged the candle, the parchment, and the crystal on the floor. He began to chant in the Old Tongue....  
  
Shahan, Dokna, Zeva, Tyiml..... He passed the crystal twice through the flame before he heard it. The tell tale sounds of the dragon returning to its lair.  
  
Mordou, Xcavis, Dalamar, Shirack.....  
  
The reptilian muzzle thrust itself nearer Folken, almost upsetting the candle. It's foul breath cascaded over him like a murky tidal wave. Only through sheer will power did Folken keep from disrupting the spell. But he was running out of time, fore the dragon had now located him in the darkness. Dripping fangs, forked toungue, putrid breath. Determined to complete what he had begun, Folken thrust his own nightmarish memories into the back of his mind. Even as the hideous jaws were snapping shut, he completed the spell.  
  
Koreegah, Wqasnn, Pgemti, Shan.... Power of the deep, I call you forth!!  
  
WHOOSH! **************************************************************************** ***************************** The posted guard were the first to spot the lone traveler heading toward the camp. They passed him through after one look at his face. The traveler made his way through the midnight darkness toward the king's tent. He paused at the entrance and cocked his head as if he had heard something. He lifted his foot to enter the tent, then dropped to his knees just as something wizzed past his head. He rolled to the left as he heard the staff smack the ground where he had been only a split second before. Rab smiled mentally as he realized Gaff had improved his skills greatly since he had left. Well, no time for play.... Gaff had stopped, for lack of a target. The intruder had disappeared. Gaff stood rigid, alert to every sound. Unfortuenatly for him, he hadn't yet learned to control his breathing. As a result he didn't hear it behind him till too late. Gaff's feet were yanked out from underneath him. Gaff still got in his say though, for as he fell, he twisted around a cracked the intruder on the shoulder. The gush of vulgar syllables and colorful metaphores that followned made Gaff realize who he had just assaulted. " Uh-oh........."  
  
Van was still shaking the sleep out of his eyes as he sat down at the oval table. Hitomi sat on one side of him, with Merle, Amano and Yukari on his other. At the other end of the table sat Rab,still rubbing his shoulder, Major Killgore and his aides, and Gaff, who was glowering fiercely at Rab. " So where is this army?" the Major asked " They'll be here soon. Is everything else in place?" Van shook his head. " Folken isn't back yet." " And our Earth friends?" Rab asked. " They have something they say will work, but I'm not so sure." " Your plan won't work without the dwarves." the Major pointed out. " Patience! They'll be here.....And unless I miss my guess they are here now." Loose articles on the table began to vibrate vigorously. Shouts of alarm spread through the camp. But the enemy, dispite bright torches, could not be seen. Then the sound ceased. Abruptly, the ground in the center of the camp began to heave upward. In a disappointing anti-climax, a single dwarf popped out of the soil. " Me great-um king of wee ones. Where we dig?" The king's tent had empied rapidly as everyone had gone to the source of the disturbance. Rab walked over to the dwarf and placed his hand on his shoulder. " Patience oh great one. Your work shall begin soon enough." And with that, the dwarf had to be content. The show over, everyone wandered back to there bed. Everyone merely passed it off as one of the melef master's insane gambles, and no one wanted to to be involved. Amano noticed, however that Rab had stopped and was peering intently at the night sky. " Stargazing?" Amano asked " No....I just got a weird feeling all of a sudden......HIT THE DECK!!!!!!" Rab bellowed Not a moment too soon. Strange shapes descended from the sky and impacted the ground with terrifying force.Just as the hail of objects ceased and Rab began to devine what had just happened, Folken walked out of the darkness. " Your landing sucked." Rab stated flatly. " Is that all the thanks I get? If you had to navigate an alternate plane of existance with 24 Alseides in tow, you might screw up a little too." Folken stalked off with Amano following closely behind. Rab shook his head. " The bards are going to have a field day with this."  
  
The sand was blowing something fierce when the jet landed in the middle of the Arabian desert. Relena exited and quickly trotted to the waiting car. The driver twisted around in the seat. It was Rashid. " Your message said you knew where Master Quatre was." " Yes Rashid. But I'm not sure your going to believe me." 


End file.
